Gold and Emeralds
by MetallicMedallion
Summary: Slight AU. Araya Kimura was the kind of woman that was so mysterious sometimes that people couldn't help but to pursue her for more. MitsunarixOC. Rating may change in future. Starring two of my OC's: Araya and Raiden. The story is better than the summary entails! Rating may change in future. Leave a follow, favourite or review!
1. Prologue

Araya Kimura.

She was what you know as a 'triple-threat'. She was a skilled mercenary, but also a silent ninja and a well-known ronin. The only reason why being a ronin was a threat was because when switching between armies, you learn everyone's strengths and weaknesses, which can be easily used against anyone in battle. She'd fought for practically every army, from the Date to the Tokugawa, from the Hōjō to the Toyotomi. Even the Oda, while they existed, for a very short while. While fighting for different armies, she trained under Magoichi Saika and the ninjas of Iga, including Hanzō Hattori, her cousin, which perfected her skills as a mercenary and ninja.

She had pure, black hair, creamy, smooth skin and bright emerald eyes. She had the perfect figure for a ninja, even though she was reasonably tall. Her weapons consisted of a pair of twin sai blades, a collection of shruikens and serrated-edge throwing knives. They were all coloured midnight blue, with silver edges. Her war attire was the same colour scheme. It was inspired by Lady Nene's, after a random battle while discussing something. It consisted of the same dark blue leotard-like suit, silver leg straps, similarly coloured skintight boots and the same colour mask. The leotard had silver stitching, and all the silver items had midnight blue.

All in all, she was a great, natural beauty, but all of the men that she worked with were always too intimidated to tell her any such thing in case she didn't like it and threatened them or did something, bad, to them instead. Same with the girls, but instead of telling her how beautiful she was, they settled for envious glances at her when she wasn't looking; equally afraid of her wrath. This led her to be a quite intimidating person, but with surprisingly quite a few loyal friends, and the ones she did have were ones she knew she could trust with her life. If you weren't her friend, then she comes across as intimidating and reserved, but if you were then you knew that she could be sly, but playful and caring at the same time. Surprisingly, most came from the Tokugawa like Tadakatsu Honda and Ina. Tadakatsu and Araya had met out of mutual respect in one another's abilities while she was working for the Tokugawa. The same happened with Ina, once Tadakatsu introduced her to Araya after a different battle. Araya was also friends with a girl named Kai, who was part of the Hōjō. She and Kai had met while on a mission with each other, but trapped in a dilapidated castle. Kai's overflowing confidence and innocence drew Araya to her and Araya just loved to tease the younger girl about her obvious attraction to Magoichi Saika and Yukimura Sanada.

Her friends in the Toyotomi consisted of Kiyomasa Katō, Nene and her twin Raiden Kimura. Like his name suggests, his war weapon and attire revolve around thunder and lightning, with his sword being a bright golden colour, shaped like a thunderbolt. Similar to Ginchiyo Tachibana's weapon of choice. Back on the topic of friends, a man named Mitsunari Ishida was also part of the Toyotomi ranks, before Hideyoshi Toyotomi died and the Toyotomi became the Ishida Coalition after clashing with Ieyasu Tokugawa endlessly. Mitsunari Ishida was more like an acquaintance than a friend before this, though, as during the brief times with her working with the Toyotomi he was extremely self-absorbed and arrogant. The few times he had spoken with her had left her fuming and irritated afterwards at his overly-sarcastic self. Even she wasn't that bad.


	2. Chapter 1

One day in late May, while fighting on the battlefield in the battle of Komaki-Nagakute for the Tokugawa, she stumbled upon a samurai wielding a golden, bolt-shaped sword felling a final soldier in his area. _Raiden_ , she thought. _There's no way I'm going to fight with him._ Unfortunately for her, Raiden happened to look up at her, perched on the edge of a ninja path, staring right at him.

" _Araya?_ What are you _doing_ here!" He whisper-yelled.

She winced at her brother's demanding tone. He was the only person who she would take direct orders from, other than the lord she was working for. "Fighting for the Tokugawa?" Raiden looked at her in disbelief. "Look, I'm sorry, Raiden, but it's what I do! I'm a ronin for a reason."

Raiden closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know that, Araya, but did it really have to be in _this_ battle with our enemy? I can't fight you and neither can you to me."

"I know, I was just hoping to avoid you and head straight for Hideyoshi. I hate having to fight against you, Raiden. Even if I don't see you, I know that you're out there and I could be possibly forced to, _assassinate_ , you." She said, spitting the word out in disgust.

He sighed. They had had this conversation many times before, when she first left as a ronin and the numerous times she had worked for the Toyotomi. "I feel the same way. I'm scared that one day, I find you in the battlefield and I'm forced to go into battle with you, or even Hanzō, for that matter. I know that I've said this every time I see you, but _please_ consider joining the Toyotomi. For good. It's not bad at all; Hideyoshi's fair and equal to everyone and doesn't order people around. We'll control the land and live in peace, and of course, I won't have to fight you anymore. Please, Araya. I couldn't bear losing you."

As he was saying this, Araya could see a lone Tokugawa archer loading his bow to shoot at the distracted Raiden. Even though Araya was supposed to be on the archer's side, she couldn't let him hurt, or worse, kill, Raiden. "Watch out!" She shouted. She double-jumped in the air, then somersaulted onto the unsuspecting archer, and slit his throat with her sais.

Raiden's eyes widened, both at the fact that he nearly could've died and at Araya's skills and efficient kill. _I didn't remember her being_ that _good at being a ninja. Now I definitely know that I can't kill her, even if I was forced to. She_ needs _to join the Toyotomi, so I can be assured that she's always safe. I can't lose her; she's my only family I have left,_ he thought.

Araya looked at him worriedly. "We need to get back to the battlefield before people notice we're gone. I promise to consider joining the Toyotomi, for real this time. Stay safe, alright?" She gave him a small grin. "When I next see you, it better be when you're alive, not in a grave." And with that, she darted off before he could give a reply. Raiden chuckled. His sister was so mysterious that it was hard for others to not be intrigued by her. With that thought, he also took off, but in the opposite direction that Araya had, as to not run into her again.

* * *

After the battle, she decided that she would actually join the Toyotomi, but not for good. She needed another trial run of the place, but she would be there for longer than usual to get used to the way they live and make sure that Hideyoshi is exactly how she remembered him to be. She was sure that it would be fine with Lord Ieyasu, since they were now allied with the Toyotomi anyway, for her to leave so abruptly to go with their allies instead. She packed her clothes; kimonos, leggings, shirts, underwear, sandals and her war attire, and her twin sais into a saddlebag that she would later attach to her horse and ride off to the Toyotomi Main Camp before they left to their main house, Osaka Castle.

Two hours later, Araya was hitching herself up onto her midnight black horse, securing her saddlebag on the side and riding off into the night.

Around three hours later, Araya had dismounted her horse and tied it to a tree in the direction that the Toyotomi would be taking the next day to Osaka Castle. She stealthily made her way to the entrance of the huge, golden camp, dressed in a light yellow, patterned kimono to show that she meant no harm, her saddlebag on one shoulder so that she could open it and grab her twin sais if need be. Once she was within sight of the patrol guards, she knew it was only a matter of time before they saw her standing, awaiting for them to notice her.

As Araya had known, a few seconds later a guard caught sight of her. "Halt!" He shouted. "Who are you and what business do you have here?"

Araya grit her teeth; she hated being ordered to do something but she had to remain placid to get on the Toyotomi's good side. "I am Araya Kimura, and I am here to speak with Lord Hideyoshi about me serving the Toyotomi for a while." She had spoken that sentence many times over the years, and knew that straight after she had said her name, there would be a spark of recognition in the guard's eyes as she said her name; her brother, a loyal retainer of the Toyotomi had the same last name as her. Also, they had the same facial features. Pure black hair, pale skin and emerald eyes. A small nose, full cheeks and a rose-coloured mouth. The only differences between the two were that Raiden had a chiselled jawline which made him quite handsome while Araya's chin was rounded to give her a more, heart-shaped, face. Raiden's hair was layered and came back in a small peak at the back while Araya's hair was thick but always in a ponytail, or rarely, down in natural waves.

The guard finished his mental recognition of her and said, "Come with me. I shall escort you to Lord Hideyoshi now."

Araya followed behind him silently as they made their way silently into the main camp, with curious glances being thrown at her by the people she passed. Eventually, she made it to an entrance leading to a wider clearing than the rest, lined with golden rugs on top of dead grass and a plush red pillow at the end. The guard turned and said, "Wait here. I shall alert Lord Hideyoshi about your presence."

* * *

A few minutes later, she was called into the clearing by a different guard. She obeyed, and when she entered she saw Hideyoshi Toyotomi sitting on the red pillow with Lady Nene standing right behind him, and Kiyomasa Kato and Mitsunari Ishida by his sides. Immediately, she made eye contact with Kiyomasa and Nene, smiling at them both gently. During her stays with the Toyotomi, the two had been very hospitable towards her and caring. They were all friends, and understood why she was a ronin, even though they were a little disappointed when she always left. They both smiled back at her, and she turned her attention to Mitsunari Ishida, and her eyes hardened. She still gave him a minute nod to seem respectful, even though she wanted to completely ignore him and his arrogant existence. Nene and Kiyomasa chuckled silently at this; they knew the bad history, even though it was small, between Araya and Mitsunari.

However, Mitsunari didn't even have the decency to look at her, as he turned his head to the side slightly with a small smirk on his face. Araya's jaw dropped a bit; did he dislike her so much as to despise the mere sight of her? Then she recollected herself and said inwardly, _if he wants to play this game then I can too. Game on, Ishida. Game on._ Araya looked away from him as she was nearing Hideyoshi, and finally made eye contact with him, too. His eyes were kind, and he gave her a small grin, which she couldn't help but return. As she knelt down before him, she introduced herself, not that she needed to since he knew exactly who she was, and then the time came for Hideyoshi to speak.

"Araya! It's been a while since we saw you, no need to be formal, we're all friends here!" At the last part, Mitsunari gave a small, nearly indecipherable snort. Araya, Nene, Kiyomasa and even Hideyoshi all looked at him sharply, and Nene hit his arm as if to reprimand him. _Well, time to give him a big shock then_ , Araya smirked inwardly.

"Well, Hideyoshi, I plan to be here a lot longer than usual, if that is alright with you." At this Mitsunari looked up in surprise; even Nene, Kiyomasa and Hideyoshi were a bit shocked.

 _Time to deal the final blow_. "I was hoping to stay until the Toyotomi unite the land, if possible?" During this, she looked straight up into Mitsunari's wide eyes, which were practically bulging out of their sockets by the time Araya had finished her sentence.

Hideyoshi spluttered, "W-why of course! Someone with your skill and expertise is always welcome to stay and fight with us." He got up, and walked over to her kneeling form. He placed his hands on her shoulders from behind and bowed his head, as he always does when she is accepted into the clan.

"Araya Kimura, I hereby welcome you into the Toyotomi clan, until we unite the land once more!"

Nene's smile was so wide that it could easily split her face into two, even Kiyomasa was grinning at Araya. Mitsunari however, was still stuck in his shock-induced trance. Then he bowed his head, his chestnut hair falling in front of his face, chuckled and murmured, "I see what you're doing. Game on, Kimura. Game on indeed."

Araya stood, and bowed deeply to Hideyoshi. "My great thanks go to you, Hideyoshi, for accepting me."

"Nonsense! We're glad to have you back, Araya. Mitsunari, please show Araya to the spare futon in yours and Kiyomasa's quarters so she can drop off her things. Then, please give her a tour around the camp and explain when we are leaving." Hideyoshi ordered.

Mitsunari was lost for words. "Wait, what? ...but …why? … _what_?"

Araya smirked openly at him, while Hideyoshi repeated his instructions. "Are you alright, Mitsunari? You've seemed a bit out of it since Araya arrived."

"Perfectly fine, my lord. Come, Araya." He spoke through his teeth.

Araya's smirk turned into a scowl as Mitsunari ordered her around. Said man then smirked at her reaction, before tugging her by the elbow to their sleeping quarters since she wasn't moving herself.

"Ow! No need to bruise my elbow, you know." Araya yelped.

His smirk only grew wider. "I have no care for your physical health, as long as you see what I need you to then this will be as quick as possible."

"There you are again, acting wiser than men twice your age. Do you ever stop? Oh, how I feel sorry for Kiyomasa and Masanori."

He whirled around, successfully pinning the unsuspecting Araya to the wall behind them. He leant in, close enough for her to see the amber flecks in his golden eyes and for the ends of his chestnut hair to gently caress her chin as he spoke. She found herself lost in his eyes before she even realised what she was doing.

"I do not _act_ , wise. I am wise. Much more so than you, too. My friends have nothing to do with this conversation." He spoke slowly, deliberately. Threateningly. As if he was trying to pass on some message to her that he thought she would have trouble understanding.

 _Damn him for making me look stupid,_ she thought. _Payback time._ She slipped out of his grasp effortlessly; with her years of training with Hanzō she could get out of nearly any constricting situation. She then stood behind him, as he turned around to stare at her with a mixture of anger and amazement in his golden eyes.

"You know, when trying to restrict someone, it's always a good idea to, you know, hold them down correctly?" She teased in a mocking tone. "Just a tip for next time, or on the battlefield. Should we continue our trip to our sleeping quarters? My saddlebag is a bit heavy." She gave him a saccharine smile as he wore a dark scowl on his face after being mocked.

His scowl returned into a smirk once more as he received a small yelp from Araya as he grabbed her elbow again, and tugged her around a corner. She was pulled into a wider clearing than before with Hideyoshi, but this one was filled with lines of futons and fabric screens. Every single one was filled, except for two. Both didn't have an occupant, but one had a red-and-white tessen next to it, along with a wig coloured red, orange and yellow, respectively, like a fire. Araya was steered in that direction, but to the futon that was two spaces over.

"This is your futon. You're sleeping here until we leave tomorrow for Osaka Castle, in four to five hours. Drop your bag, and follow me again. I would hurry if I were you. I don't have time to waste."

Araya huffed at his commanding tone, but complied anyway.

"See? Play nice like this and you won't be slammed into walls. It helps to gain respect from others, you know." Mitsunari mockingly praised.

Araya gave him her darkest glare.

The tour was somewhat uneventful, with insults being thrown at one another and another threat of wall-slamming. Turns out that the camp was huge. How was Araya ever supposed to find Hideyoshi during the battle with this labyrinth protecting him? As she and Mitsunari walked back to their respective futons, Araya began to change into a plain cream kimono to sleep in. However, moonlight from above streamed onto the screen divider, casting shadows over it. Mitsunari happened to be staring her way, as the moonlight hit her figure, and he saw her silhouette in a surprising level of detail. Her modest bust, thin waist and shapely legs were displayed as shadows on her dividing screen, and Mitsunari found himself having to look away from the screen before he, or rather his body, did something he would regret.

* * *

Five hours later, Araya was gently shaken awake by a large hand on her bicep.

"Araya.. Araya! Time to wake up; we're leaving for Osaka now."

Araya stirred, but awoke from the voice. As she opened her eyes, she was met with Kiyomasa's kind gaze.

"Kiyomasa? Oh, thank you for waking me. I'm pretty sure that Mitsunari wouldn't have done it if you weren't in these quarters." She stood, hoisting her saddlebag over her shoulder.

He chuckled. "No problem, Araya. You two still not getting along?"

They walked to the entrance. "Of course not! He's just an arrogant, good-for-nothing child; how do you put up with hi-" She was cut short.

Mitsunari was behind her, and whispered into her ear, with a husky tone. "Remember what I said about talking about my friends and I? I would slam you into a wall again, but Lord Hideyoshi's here. Looks like I'll have to wait till Osaka Castle. But don't worry, I won't forget."

Araya shivered, not used to feeling warm breath on her neck, then whirled round to see a smirk etched into his face. Unbeknownst to her, Kiyomasa had also turned around to see what was going on, and was quietly chuckling at the duo. They were more alike than they thought. The perfect match.

"I think you need to think of something more original than just a boring wall slam. Remember how easily I escaped?" Araya teased.

"Oh, don't worry, I have plenty of techniques. Just thought that I shouldn't waste the good ones on you. But now that you _politely_ asked... Remember what I said. Just wait till Osaka."

Araya was cut off from replying by Hideyoshi's orders. "Araya! You shall ride with Raiden and Kiyomasa. Mitsunari, ride with Masanori. If we all keep at a fast pace, we should reach Osaka within a day, if we rest for a few hours along the way." He ordered.

"On second thought, if you don't have a horse, Araya, you can ride on Raiden's or Kiyomasa's. Which will it be?" He questioned.

"Oh, don't worry Lord Hideyoshi, my horse is just a little way away from here. I tied it up last night." It was dawn, the pink, orange and yellow hues chasing the dark blues and blacks from the sky.

"Alright then, ride on Raiden's horse till we get there. Speaking of Raiden, where is he?"

As he said that, Raiden came rushing out of the entrance to the camp, hair tussled, and bowed deeply. Araya chuckled, he was late to nearly everything.

"I sincerely apologise, my lord. I did not realise everyone had left already." He profusely apologised.

"Nonsense, Raiden! It's alright. I presume you haven't heard the news yet?" Hideyoshi questioned.

Confusion clouded Raiden's eyes. "News? What news, my lord?"

"Your twin, Araya, is back with the Toyotomi until we can unite the land!"

Araya stepped out from behind Mitsunari, and said, "Hey, Raiden." with a grin on her face.

His emerald eyes visibly brightened, and he ran over to her and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. Everyone either chuckled lightly or awed at the twins' reunion.

"Sorry to cut your reunion short, but we must be leaving now. Araya shall be riding on your horse, Raiden, until we come across her own. She shall then ride by your side and Kiyomasa's. Now, let's head for Osaka!" Hideyoshi and Nene mounted their horses, while everyone gave a huge victory cheer.

Raiden led Araya to his own horse, and they got on, Araya encircling her arms around his waist for stability. They then trotted over to Kiyomasa, who was already on his horse.

He gave a big grin at them both. He was best friends with Raiden and Araya, whenever she was with the Toyotomi. Hideyoshi and Nene had dashed off into the distance, and everyone followed, while Kiyomasa, Araya and Raiden took the rear for a while.

"Well then, let's go!" Kiyomasa cheered. The three then dashed off, catching up to the others. A few minutes later, Araya caught sight of her horse.

"Here! I see my horse, over there." Raiden stopped his horse, and Araya dismounted it. She then untied her own horse, who was a bit miffed at being left alone all night. "I'm sorry, Shadow, but I had to! I won't do it again." During this whisper to her horse, Araya had reattached her saddlebag to his side and mounted it. "Let's go, Shadow!" She and her horse had trotted over to the patient Kiyomasa and Raiden, and the three shot off into the morning, once more catching up with the others.

A while later, after many light conversations between the three, Araya suddenly asked Raiden, "Say, Raiden, you're not friends with Mitsunari Ishida are you?" Araya internally begged for him to say no.

"We're alright friends, if you ask me. Not best friends, like him and Kiyomasa, but good friends, in retrospect." He answered thoughtfully.

 _Of course not. Why am I not surprised,_ she thought. "Ugh! Why is everyone friends with him? I really don't see the appeal. He's irritating, over-confident and arrogant! And not to mention, he hates me for some strange reason!" She snapped.

Kiyomasa chuckled loudly. "I think the opposite actually. I think he actually likes you, deep down, you know. He just pretends to hate you for a facade. He thinks no one would ever take him seriously again if he fell in love with someone."

Araya froze, then spluttered, "W-what? O-of course he d-doesn't like me, that's ridiculous!" Her normally pale face had turned a deep scarlet at Kiyomasa's wise words. Love was Araya's main weakness, and Raiden and Kiyomasa both knew how to take perfect advantage of it.

Raiden laughed. "Looks like you're quite embarrassed. Does someone have a little _crush_ on Mitsunari? Ha, I can't wait to tell him this. Imagine his reaction, Kiyomasa!"

Araya's face got even redder, if that was even possible, as she tried to sputter out a, "N-no!" to Raiden's question.

Kiyomasa laughed loudly; he loved to tease Araya. "I imagine that he'll be ecstatic on the inside, but on the outside he'll be as red and embarrassed as Araya. We really should tell him, shouldn't we?"

Araya yelled in despair, 'G-guys! This isn't funny! You better not say anything!"

Raiden then mockingly whispered to Kiyomasa, "Let's ride really fast ahead to catch up with him and tell him before she catches up. Let's go!" With that, the two bolted ahead on their horses.

Araya's eyes widened, and she dashed ahead too to catch up with them before they could spew out any lies to Mitsunari. _If that happens then Mitsunari will_ never _let me live it down!_ , she thought furiously.

* * *

She was too late.

Or so she thought.

When she finally caught up with Raiden and Kiyomasa for the fourth time, they were in the makeshift camp that everyone would be resting in, sitting with Mitsunari, seemingly discussing something scandalous, from the look on Mitsunari's face. _They... they actually told him. My life is over, I'll be teased about this forever!_ , she thought.

She stormed over to where they were talking and hissed, "Whatever _they_ said about me liking you, isn't real. _I do not like you!_ Got it?" During this, she pointed at the snickering Raiden and Kiyomasa when she said ' _they'_ , and then pointed at the shocked Mitsunari at the end.

"Y-you _what?_ " Mitsunari sputtered.

A look of confusion spread across Araya's face. "You know, the whole 'Araya likes you' _bullshit_ that they were just telling you before I came?

"They said no such thing!" Mitsunari furiously whispered.

"B-but.. when.. wh-" Araya was cut off by loud laughter from Kiyomasa, shortly followed by Raiden.

"A-Araya," Raiden started but then broke off in laughter.

"We never told him, Araya, b-but you just did!" Kiyomasa finished with snickers.

"W-wha-" Realisation dawned on Araya's face, but it eventually turned to a wicked smirk. She tackled Kiyomasa to the ground, sitting on his stomach and pinning his arms above his head. Kiyomasa's eyes widened, _How was she able to do that so quickly? I'm so heavy! Well, I'm never underestimating Araya again,_ he thought.

Said girl then leant down slowly to Kiyomasa's left ear, and whispered, "I wouldn't play games with me about crushes, Kiyomasa," purposely dragging out his name. He shivered. She continued. "We wouldn't want Lady Nene to catch wind of a certain crush that you have on her, would we?" If it were possible, Kiyomasa's eyes widened even more. _How does she know about that! I haven't told_ anyone _about it!_ He thought frantically.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, _for now_. Breathe a word about how I 'like' Mitsunari to him again and it might just slip."

Kiyomasa nodded his head profusely. No one could know about his attraction to Lady Nene. Ever.

From the side, Mitsunari watched with amazement and slight fear. Whatever she was telling him must be very threatening considering the scared look in his eyes. _I wonder if I'm next for that treatment,_ he thought. _I wonder how it feels, her long hair brushing my cheek, her hot breath hitting my ear... Stop this, Mitsunari! You're supposed to hate her, not think about how it would feel with her draped on you!_

Araya slowly released Kiyomasa's hands and rolled off his stomach. He quickly sat up, shaking his head at Mitsunari and Raiden's fearful gazes, and said, "You don't want to know. All I can say is don't cross her again."

After Araya had suddenly repeated the process with Raiden, but with Naotora Ii as the threat (Raiden used to serve the Tokugawa before the Toyotomi and while Araya worked there she noticed his fondness towards her), and threatened to do the same to Mitsunari if he wouldn't shut up, she walked over to Lady Nene, who was sitting by herself. Hideyoshi was nowhere to be seen.

"Lady Nene, I haven't spoken with you yet. How are you? You seem kind of sad at the moment." Araya spoke softly.

Nene jumped a little, as if she hadn't heard Araya approach and speak. As if she was lost in her own little world. "Oh! Araya. I'm fine, just quite tired."

Araya didn't believe it for a second. She looked closely at Nene's face. There was a faint tear track on her left cheek, and a small red print on the right. Araya gasped. "Nene, who did this to you? And I don't want any bullshit answer. The truth."

Nene giggled slightly at Araya's vulgar language, then sobered up as her right cheek hurt from laughter. "O-oh, this? I-it's nothing. Just fell and hit my cheek against the kitchen countertop while cooking for Hideyoshi."

"Nene..."

"Fine... but could we at least move towards a more private area?"

Araya nodded, slightly worriedly. They stood, and made their way to a secluded corner. "Swear to not tell anyone! I mean it, Araya. This has to stay between us and us only."

Araya nodded.

Nene grew nervous. "W-well, I was actually cooking, and then Hideyoshi walked in and told me to send Chacha to his ch-chambers. At first I didn't say anything, as I was too tired and irritated. What kind of man asks his wife to send his personal prostitute to his bedroom!" Nene's voice rose slightly at the end, and Araya had to shush her, in fear that she would be heard and it would be reported to Hideyoshi.

"Sorry, and then since I didn't reply, h-he... he slapped me, and then yelled at me to call Chacha. He then stalked off and I haven't seen him since. I did call Chacha to his room, so that he wouldn't be angry at me again, but I can't do this anymore!" Nene wailed.

Araya shushed her again, but much gentler than before, she lightly embraced her and sat her down.

"Why can't I be married to someone like Kiyomasa? He cares for me, would never hit me or ask me to send him a prostitute. Why do I have to be married to Hideyoshi?" Nene broke down, sobbing the words into Araya's kimono, words muffled enough so that only Araya could hear.

Araya comforted the young wife; the news that Hideyoshi was abusive shocked her greatly. She thought that Hideyoshi was a man of honour and happiness. She vowed then that she would never look at him in the same way again.

"Nene, I really am sorry, I never knew any of this..." Araya started. "But... you did mention a certain white-haired warrior during your explanation. Care to share your feelings of him?"

Nene laughed. Araya always knew how to cheer her up if she was sad, just by ignoring the sad topic entirely. A good type of stubbornness if she ever saw one.

"Kiyomasa... I-I... I could easily see myself with him. He would be a much better husband than Hideyoshi, but I'm certain that he would never love me in the same way that I do him. He sees me as his mother. Even if he did, I'm married! I couldn't disgrace Hideyoshi by being with Kiyomasa at the same time as being his husband."

Araya couldn't believe her ears. One, that Nene actually loved Kiyomasa in the same way that he does to her, and two, that she would actually think that she would be disgracing Hideyoshi by loving Kiyomasa.

"Nene! Do you hear yourself? Hideyoshi straight up asked you to bring him another woman to have sex with, but you won't tell Kiyomasa that you love him out of respect for your 'relationship' with Hideyoshi?"

"W-well, when you put it like that..."

"Nene, even if you are too scared to tell Kiyomasa how you feel, don't let your standings with Hideyoshi get rid of your feelings. By what you've told me, it sounds like you need an anchor to help you when other people aren't there to focus on. Keep your feelings with you, but just don't get rid of them completely. An anchor like that will push you through your days, even through the bad times with Hideyoshi like with the whole Chacha situation."

Nene was stunned into silence at Araya's wise words. "T-thank you, Araya. Honestly. I don't know what I would've done if you didn't talk with me. I feel a lot better now."

Araya grinned at Nene. "That's what ninja sisters are for, right?"

Nene laughed loudly, catching the attention of Kiyomasa, Mitsunari and Raiden who weren't too far away. Kiyomasa caught her eye first, and with fearful gaze he rose an eyebrow, as if to ask, "Did you tell her? Please tell me you didn't." With a soft smile, she shook her head and he visibly sagged in relief.

Raiden made eye contact next and he gave her and Nene a goofy grin. They both laughed loudly at how weird Raiden looked, and even Kiyomasa and Mitsunari joined in once they saw.

Finally, after the laughter, Mitsunari looked directly at Araya. Once again, even from a distance she couldn't help but get lost in his strangely coloured eyes. They flowed like honey; rich and sweet - even though it was the opposite of his personality, or his 'facade', as Kiyomasa had said. Araya snapped out of her daze, as she remembered that her staring could be interpreted as something else.

She rose an eyebrow at him, as if to say, "Why are you looking at me?" He replied with a smirk and slightly turned his head away from her, just like he did in her acceptance ceremony. Her eyebrows furrowed at this, and his smirk grew even wider. Eventually, she huffed and turned back to Nene, who was smirking at her too.

"God, what is with everyone and smirking today?" Araya huffed again.

"Looks like _someone_ has a crush!" Nene sang loudly.

Araya's eyes widened, and her cheeks took on a scarlet tint again. "Shhh!" she covered Nene's mouth. "It's not my fault that I like his eye colour... it's like a nice, rich honey..." Araya drifted off into thought before she even realised that she was practically agreeing with Nene.

Simultaneously, Nene squealed in shock while Araya backtracked and denied fervently.

"Eek! You never told me about this! When did you start to like him?" Nene stood up and started to do a little happy dance.

"N-no, that's not what I m-meant! I don't like him! We hate each other!" Araya stood also, trying to placate Nene before she attracted attention. Or rather, the attention of a certain honey-eyed man.


	3. Chapter 2

Unbeknownst to the duo, Mitsunari's conversation with Raiden and Kiyomasa had finished, and they all except for Mitsunari retired to bed. He wasn't tired; he slept straight after Araya's tour, for a decent few hours. He grew bored quickly, with no one to talk to and was about to also retire to bed when he caught sight of an ecstatic Nene bouncing around with a scarlet Araya trying to quieten her. He smirked widely. _This is the perfect time to get back at her for that little threat she tossed at me earlier; not that I would've minded if she did it anyway... Snap out of it, Mitsunari!_ he thought.

He stalked behind Araya, who had closed her eyes momentarily in an effort to calm herself. Nene had skipped down a hallway somewhere, and was nowhere to be found.

He was now right behind Araya, and he leant down and whispered in her ear, "Why are you blushing, Araya? Surely it isn't that hot in the camp?"

He wasn't prepared for what happened next.

Araya jumped a mile high, then staggered backwards, knocking Mitsunari off balance and sending them both to the floor in a heap. Out of pure instinct and reflexes, he wrapped his arms around her back as they fell, pulling her onto his chest and breaking her fall.

Now on the ground, a flabbergasted Araya opened her eyes, having closed them on impact with her hard pillow. She was met with the sight of pure gold, with flecks of amber staring back at her, then cream eyelids and long lashes. She quickly realised just who she was laying on, and immediately tried to get up. She was prevented from doing that though, as her back was met with a warm, clothed barrier.

"M-Mitsunari?"

"Ugh..." He groaned. "Give me a second."

"B-but.. wha-" She tried to say.

"Just shut up for a second, yeah? I can't move for a few minutes without injuring something. Besides, no one's here. It's fine."

Realisation crossed Araya's features; she remembered from reading a book once that it was potentially dangerous to move a limb straight after a hard fall - you could pull or tear a muscle or ligament.

"But you can move your arms! Let me go at least!"

"Not happening. You caused this situation, so you have to be a victim as well."

"This wasn't my fault; you were the one who scared me!" Mitsunari's sharp glare made Araya realise that he wasn't letting her leave, no matter what she said. "Fine.. but no one knew that any of this happened. Is that clear?" Araya suddenly grew worried that someone heard their fall and came to check, and was greeted by her practically straddling his lap.

"Crystal. Ma'am, yes, ma'am." Mitsunari chuckled, albeit a bit painfully.

Araya glared at him lightly. "I would hit you right now but knowing you, you'd probably find a way to make Hideyoshi blame it on me."

"Hmm, you know me so well." He mocked.

"Whatever. Let's just spend these next five minutes in peace and quiet, alright?"

"Ma'am ye-" He was cut off.

"Don't even." She threatened.

* * *

A minute later, Araya huffed, hot breath hitting Mitsunari's ear. His eyes opened immediately, not used to the strangely nice sensation.

"What is it now? I was enjoying my minute's rest." He said.

"This is so awkward. I'm draped on you like some sort of blanket and we're not even speaking."

"Was it not you who said we should 'spend these next five minutes in peace and quiet?'"

"Well, I take it back. We have to talk about _something_." Araya couldn't believe how childish she was sounding. "For example, why do you wear your fire-coloured wig in battle? Your chestnut hair would look nicer; more natural."

Mitsunari smirked. "So you like my hair then?" Araya began to make noises of protest. "Regrettably, I have to say the same about yours." She stopped instantly. "Now don't get me wrong; it's because it is a pure black, no mixtures or _highlights_ , like the women in Hideyoshi's court. Dark can be beautiful."

Araya's eyebrows rose. So he liked her hair? What else did he like about her? "What else do the women in his court act and wear? I've never heard about any of this from Nene."

"Well, they also paint their lips a vulgar red colour," He visibly shivered. "They act as if they want to jump his bones, then and there, in front of anyone and everyone. It's disgusting. They should just keep their lips pale and natural, like you, for example. They would look much nicer." Simultaneously, their eyes widened, and their cheeks tinted a shade of pink, though Araya's was a much darker shade.

 _Wait, what? He basically just called me attractive! Surely he couldn't mean it, right? I'm supposed to hate him!_ Araya thought.

 _What have I done? She'll never let me live this down now, I basically complimented her to her face! I'm supposed to hate her!_ Mitsunari thought.

"W-well, I-I'm sure that Hideyoshi would tell them if they looked that bad, right?" She tactfully swerved the focus away from Mitsunari's compliment, and he mentally thanked her for it.

He chuckled, still a bit nervous from the previous events. "I don't think so, they've been doing it for years now and not one of them has strayed from their little 'tradition'. I guess he likes that kind of stuff. I could never."

* * *

By now, the five minutes were up, but the two kept talking about random topics; having forgotten the time completely. Nene's calls from down a hallway stopped their current conversation, about sleeping arrangements at Osaka.

"Mitsunari!... Araya!... Where are you?... We're leaving!..." She called, coming closer to their location rapidly.

Araya was alarmed. "You can't move yet though, can you? You still have around two minutes to avoid injury!" She really had no clue just how long they were in the intimate embrace for. They were there for a good ten minutes, but both were under the impression that they were there for around three.

"She can't see us like this though! I'd rather risk a pulled muscle than be teased for the duration of our trip back to Osaka, which is about six hours, and I presume you don't want to either." Mitsunari made a move to sit up quickly.

"Wait!" Araya hissed. "If you're going to do it, then at least do it slowly." He raised an eyebrow at her words. A slightly warm feeling flooded his insides. _Since when did she care about how much pain I'm in?_ he thought.

"Mitsunari! Just, please, do it slowly." By then, Nene was nearly within hearing distance of them both.

"Fine.. just put your arms around my neck to hold me up once I'm upright." She complied, and slowly they rose to a sitting position. But, it was like they were two interlinking puzzle pieces by then. Mitsunari's arms had moved down to encircle her waist for more stability, while her arms were around his neck as he had instructed. While sitting up, they had moved from being flush against each other to Araya sitting on his lap, and her legs wrapped around his waist. While moving his arms, she had slipped from Mitsunari's grip and her legs flailed out to grasp the nearest thing to keep her up, which was his waist.

Time was not on their side, however, as because of the time it took them to reach their new position, Nene had eventually found the room that they were in, and her jaw dropped nearly to the floor at the scene before her. In Nene's point of view, it looked like they were just about to kiss; they were interlocked in a compromising position and they were staring at each another.

Before Nene knew what she was doing, she had squealed in delight and ruined the moment.

The two immediately snapped their heads towards her, both with matching deep red blushes. They both began to fumble over their words, and protested fervently.

"I-it's not w-what it looks l-like, Nene!" They said in unison, without meaning to.

Nene completely ignored their protests. "You two _do_ like each other! I knew it!"

Both Mitsunari and Araya blushed an even deeper shade of red, and protested even more than before.

Nene shushed them. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I won't tell anyone!" Araya opened her mouth to contradict Nene's words once more, but was stopped by Mitsunari's soft, but just as harsh whisper.

"By protesting it makes it look even more like we are a couple. It's better to just shut up and just explain what honestly happened."

Araya gave him a hard glare for stopping her, but closed her mouth all the same. She had to admit that his level of reasoning was sound. Nene continued. "What I came to tell you was that we're leaving for Osaka again now, Hideyoshi wants to leave as soon as possible so we can make it there before midnight. It's five o'clock now, and the journey to Osaka takes about six hours. We need to hurry! We're all waiting by the entrance for you guys. Come when you're finished with your, ahem, _business_ , here." She snickered. "Don't take too long! Just wait till we get to Osaka then you can have as long as you want! Bye!" Nene ran off before she could hear the string of protestations come from Araya's mouth for the fourth time, and for the actual explanation of what happened from Mitsunari.

They looked at each other once more, a faint blush still lingering on both of their cheeks. Then, they both realised that they were still in the same compromising position that Nene had found them in, and made to detach.

"Well, I guess that the five minutes is up now, so you should be able to stand normally. But still take it slow, just in case." Araya said.

The same slightly warm feeling flooded Mitsunari's insides again. He first removed his arms from her waist, and she removed her legs from his. She retracted her arms from his neck and stood, offering him a hand to stand up also. He gave her a smirk, ignoring it, and standing up on his own.

She huffed and he genuinely laughed. She even surprised herself by laughing along with him, quietly at first, then into full-blown laughter which nearly left her on the ground for the second time in an hour. As she was about to collapse from laughter, Mitsunari caught her around the waist.

She looked up in surprise, not expecting him to actually catch her. He looked into her eyes and said, "You've been here for less than a day and you've fallen because of me twice. Are you this unstable on the battlefield? I'd hope not. It'd get you killed instantly."

At this remark, she glared at him half-heartedly, stood and left the room. When she was at the exit to the room, she glanced over her shoulder and said, "Well, are you coming? Wouldn't want to give them another reason to conjure up about why we're late."

He chuckled, walked towards her and brushed past her shoulder lightly, and continued chuckling down the hallway to the exit to the camp, where everyone was supposedly waiting for them. Even though he had ignored her, Araya couldn't help but smile and chuckle quietly along with Mitsunari.

* * *

When his left hand moved from around her waist, it brushed her leg. They both felt a spark in their hands and legs, respectively. But a good spark.

When her arms moved from around his neck, she had to lean forward to detach them. They both felt the other's hot breath hitting their necks. They both shivered inwardly. But a pleasant shiver.

When he laughed, she immediately associated it with comfort and protection. The opposite of his facade.

When she laughed, he immediately associated it with delicateness and care. The opposite of her facade.

Both of them shook their heads mentally as they walked back, trying to dismiss the strange thoughts that they suddenly had about the other, but failing miserably. It was on their minds for a long time.

* * *

Eventually, Mitsunari and Araya made it to the front entrance, where, true to her word, everyone was waiting. But it wasn't as if they were very impatient. Everyone was leisurely talking or lounging around their respective horses, but as soon as Mitsunari and Araya appeared, they all jumped up and faced Hideyoshi. He welcomed the two, gave everyone their instructions and set off, everybody following in their given formation. The only difference was that Kiyomasa and Raiden switched roles with Mitsunari, as Hideyoshi deemed Araya able enough to ride with only one bodyguard instead of two.

Note the sarcasm.

As she collected her horse from the stable owners, she noticed Raiden there with a look on his face that mixed with boredom and worry. She walked over to him, Shadow in tow.

"Raiden, what's wrong?

Said twin turned, saw her and grinned. "Oh, hey Araya! It's nothing, just wondering what I'm going to do for the next six hours." At her confused expression, he continued. "Kiyomasa's better friends with Masanori than he is with me, so he'll most likely talk to him for the majority of the ride, leaving me with nothing to do but stare at trees and bushes. If I go insane before we reach Osaka, blame those two."

Araya laughed at this. "Don't worry. If it ever gets too bad, hang with us instead; we're the group just in front of you three. Hideyoshi will never notice." She whispered the last part.

Raiden smirked. "I'd rather not impede on your little bonding session, you know. Give you two a chance to get to know each other. _Confess_ some things, stuff like that."

Araya scowled deeply, but still blushed slightly. She wasn't used to any type of love or affection, and whenever it was mentioned or displayed towards her she'd either grow uncomfortable or just blush profusely. The latter had been happening a lot more often recently. "Alright. Fine. Have fun being the third wheel!" Araya gave him a sickly sweet smile and left for the exit to camp, where Mitsunari was waiting patiently. Araya nearly stopped in her tracks. This was new. _Since when was Mitsunari a patient person, much less for me?,_ she thought. As she reached him, she mounted her horse, and said, "Ready?"

"Of course I am. Who was the one waiting for you over here for minutes before now?"

They set off at a medium pace, not wanting to be caught by the rear group, aka Raiden, Kiyomasa and Masanori. She scowled lightly. "Ah, right. I forgot. Sorry to have kept you waiting, my lord."

"Haha, you're so funny." Mitsunari mocked, then grew serious. "So, did you see Nene talking to anyone after we got outside?"

Araya recalled all the events that took place previously. She didn't see Nene at all, other than when she set off with Hideyoshi in front. "Not at all, I'm afraid. I only saw her with Hideyoshi when they both left together. But Kiyomasa was giving us a huge smirk right as we emerged, then when I looked at him he stopped immediately."

"I remember that as well, but I just wasn't looking straight at him. I was looking at your brother, who was also giving me a huge smirk. He wasn't too far from Kiyomasa, so whatever they were smirking about had to have been discussed between them." Mitsunari stiffened. "Do you think she actually told them?"

"I would like to say no, but Nene can be too mischievous for her own good. It might be a secret between those three. I really hope not."

"Hmm, too mischievous for her own good, huh? I know someone else who's like that. Her name begins with an A, she has a twin brother, and is completely in love with me. Can you guess who it is?" Mitsunari smirked, knowing that Araya would blush and start to protest at the last statement.

"W-what? I don't l-love you! Where did you get that from? If it's because of the whole situation back at camp, I can assure you that that wasn't even my fault!"

"How was it not your fault? You slammed into me, sent me onto the ground and potentially hurt me!"

"You have no idea how vain you sound right now. 'Me, me, me'.," she mocked his voice at the end. "And the only reason I slammed into you was because you scared me for no reason! That's not my fault, it's yours!'

He laughed. "I sound nothing like that, Araya."

She shivered, but a pleasant shiver. She liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. "Yes, you do. Like this." Araya demonstrated again.

He just laughed even louder, drowning out Araya's attempts at copying his voice. At his blatant disregard, Araya just silently rode ahead, quickly gaining distance away from Mitsunari.

He also rode faster, and caught up to her. "What's wrong, Araya? Can't admit that you're wrong for once? Sorry, but it's true. I actually sound nothing like that. Your imitation sounds more like Masanori, anyway."

Araya begrudgingly agreed with him at that, but she didn't say it out loud, or he'd have a field day, knowing that she admitted defeat to him. All she did on the outside was to again spur her horse on, moving away from him once more.

He caught up with her.

She spurred her horse on.

He caught up with her again.

By this time, both horses were going at full speed down the path, and eventually they caught up with the main group, and passed Hideyoshi and Nene on their respective white horses. As they passed, Araya looked back to give Nene a smile, telling her that she was doing fine with her facade for Hideyoshi. However, when she met her eyes, Nene's face pulled into a smirk, and she mimed some 'kissy' faces at Araya. At first the slightly older girl was confused, then her cheeks flushed and she shook her head vehemently at the golden ninja. In reply, all Nene did was to make some heart shapes with her hands and laugh. Araya blushed even deeper, and turned back around to the front.

As she was turning, she heard a, "Look out!" from her right and she snapped her head fully towards the front. A huge log was bouncing down the path, heading for Araya's horse rapidly. Her eyes widened, and she fumbled for the twin sais that were in her saddlebag. But the clasp wouldn't open. _Of all times,_ now _is when you decide to be an asshole? Why!_ she thought furiously. She looked back up, and the log was within striking distance of her face, as it randomly bounced very high at the end of its journey.

Everything was in slow motion. Araya's eyes widened even more, and in the midst of her panic she stopped fumbling with the saddlebag and just ducked down, hoping the log would pass over her.

 _Slice!_

Araya's face contorted in confusion. She hadn't been hit, but what was that slicing noise? She slowly looked up, but there was nothing. She looked to the side, and Mitsunari was still there, but he was smirking widely at her, and he had now suddenly grasped hold of his red-and-white tessen that Araya had seen by his futon at Komaki-Nagakute. However, his horse had suddenly moved very close to hers, and Mitsunari could even just jump from horse to horse if he wanted to. She ignored him, as he probably just moved closer to get a blush out of her. What really confused her is where the log had disappeared to. She craned her neck to look behind, expecting to see the log bouncing down the path after going over her head, but instead the log was precisely cut up into two parts, each part slowly separating from the other but still bouncing down the path.

Slowly, she turned to Mitsunari, who, as if expecting this reaction, just said, "Don't ask. Just be grateful that I saved your life. Now you owe me two things, anyway. I'll let you know when I'm ready to cash them in." His smirk grew even wider as Araya's mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"But... what.. _how?_ "

"Well, you were the one who nearly injured me, and I was the one who saved your life. That's two things. So, you owe me two favours. Care to listen more?"

Araya glared at him. "First off, the whole 'near injury' thing was caused by you, and I was a victim in it as well. Secondly, you know what I meant before. How did the log suddenly split in two?"

"Again, care to listen more? I said that you shouldn't ask, and should just be grateful. At the moment you're not doing a great job of thanking me."

"..." Araya murmured something under her breath.

"What was that? I didn't hear you. Looks like you need to learn to listen _an_ -"

"I said thank you, dammit!"

Mitsunari was in a momentary state of shock. _Since when does she apologise to people? Much less, to me?_ Eventually, he snapped out of it, and replied, "That wasn't so hard." He started. "See? Play nice like this and you won't get hurt," He said, mocking their earlier conversation from the first night. "However, that reminds me. You're due for another wall slam when we get to Osaka, which is in about two hours now. Be prepared!" He snickered.

Araya did her signature huff. "Yeah, well this time, try to actually put some effort into your hold? It's always a good idea to, you know, hold someone down correctly?" She counter-mocked, also reciting her words from the nightly conversation.

Mitsunari just smirked, also remembering her words. "I'm impressed. I didn't think you could remember something from that long ago."

She stared at him. "I'm not an idiot, Mitsunari. Stop treating me like one."

"Until you prove to me that you have any level of wisdom," She scowled. "I have to treat you like you are an idiot, because that's all you're displaying to me."

"Alright, then. I'll prove to you that I'm not stupid. Even though I'm not anyway."

He chuckled. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks, I appreciate your encouragement." She said sarcastically.

* * *

Two hours later, Araya and Mitsunari were still at the front when they first caught sight of Osaka Castle, standing proudly in the moonlight.

Araya sighed. "Finally. I need to sleep since we didn't at the camp along the way." Her face grew slightly warm again as she recalled the events from that afternoon and evening. Her falling on top of Mitsunari. Them having a 'bonding session', talking about random subjects. Them sitting up, and Nene finding them in that position. It was all still fresh on her mind. Little did she know, Mitsunari was reminiscing in the events too. _I can't help but want to scare her again, to see what would happen._ He smirked at his next thought. _I wasn't exactly complaining about our position back at camp._

As they made their way to the castle gates, they slowed their horses down, until they came to a gradual stop a small distance away from the patrolling guards. They both waited on their horses patiently until Hideyoshi and the rest came, so they could all go inside. Five minutes later, and still no sign of the others, Araya began to grow worried. _What if they were overwhelmed by bandits or something? I'll go and check._ "Mitsunari?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"There's still no sign of them. I'll go and check to make sure they weren't struck by a group of bandits or whatever. Do you want to come?"

"Sure. Better than staying here in complete boredom anyway."

Araya rode back onto the path that they came from, Mitsunari in tow. After a minute of riding at full speed, she heard a grunt and metal clashing with metal. _So I was right. Well, time to help them out._ Araya slowed Shadow down, dismounted and quickly tied him to a nearby tree. When opening her saddlebag, this time the clasp came undone and she grabbed her twin sais and few shruikens, and tucked them into the small belt that kept her kimono together. Mitsunari was in front of her, and whispered, "Ready to prove what you're made of?"

She nodded and said, "Of course." With that, she ran full speed in the direction of the noise. She saw a flash of gold, and a black-clothed figure fell to the ground, but four more of these figures came to replace the fallen one. Another flash, and another fell. Four more replaced it. It was like a never-ending cycle. _Nene must be the flash; I have to help her! She can't take down all these bandits without getting help. That reminds me, where is Hideyoshi? In fact, no. I'll find him after this._

Without warning, Araya flung a shruiken at the neck of an approaching figure. It fell instantly. She ran into the small clearing, brandishing her sais as she did so. As Nene was felling another figure, she failed to notice the two creeping up behind her. Araya's eyes widened. She jumped high into the air as she ran, throwing another shruiken at one and landing on the other, slicing his neck open with a sai. This time, none replaced them. _Good. Means that this should be over soon._ As she was thinking this, she saw Mitsunari also fell another bandit with his tessen, and turn to take out another one. However, the bandit had already lifted up his katana to strike, and there was no way that Mitsunari could block it in time.

Without even thinking, she ran full speed at the bandit, jumping in between him and Mitsunari, blocking his katana with both her sais. With sheer anger filling her, she pushed back at the bandit, forcing him to topple over. She then jumped onto his stomach, slicing his neck open. As she looked up, Nene was ridding of the final rogue, quickly searching round for more. When she saw none, she sighed heavily and plopped down onto the ground.

"Phew! That was unexpected. Thank you, Araya and Mitsunari. I couldn't have done it alone."

As Araya was about to open her mouth to ask where Hideyoshi was, Nene met her eyes and shook her head. _I'll ask her later._ She turned around, where Mitsunari was standing in complete and utter shock, gripping his tessen tightly. By now, everyone else had arrived and was fussing over Nene, thinking that she did it on her own. Araya and Mitsunari were in the shadows of the trees. Nene had rebuked their attention, telling them that she was fine, and explaining how Araya and Mitsunari did most of the work. Everyone's heads snapped towards the two, but they didn't notice. Araya wiped the blood off her sais, then said,

"Mitsunari? Are you alright?"

"...You...you saved me."

Araya was confused for a second. _When did I do that?_ Then it dawned on her. The bandit swinging at Mitsunari. Her running and deflecting the swipe. Pushing the bandit back and killing him. What she didn't get was why she felt pure anger at the bandit for nearly hurting Mitsunari. Surely it didn't mean the she cared about him _that_ much? She shook her head, as if to clear it, and replied to Mitsunari. She would deal with her thoughts later.

"Don't think too much about it. Just repaying one of your 'favours' that I owe you."

"..."

"What was that? I couldn't hea-"

Mitsunari had walked up to her, and embraced her lightly. Araya stiffened, not used to human contact, then slowly but surely melted into his embrace. As Mitsunari pulled away, she couldn't help but feel like she had lost all of her warmth, even though she was perfectly fine. Her eyes widened and she blushed, just then realising what he had done.

"W-what brought t-that on?"

Mitsunari chuckled. "Just showing you my gratitude. I'm not completely heartless, you know."

She blushed even deeper. "O-ok. Just wasn't exp-" She was cut off by Hideyoshi.

"Sorry, to interrupt you two, but we need to get going again. Osaka is a mere few minutes away from here, and I'm sure we're all tired." Araya went the darkest shade of red she ever had, just then noticing everyone there, watching the two embrace each other. As her eyes scanned the crowd, she caught sight of Raiden leaning on Kiyomasa's shoulder with one arm, and they were both giving her and Mitsunari massive smirks. Raiden even had the nerve to make heart shapes with his hands, similar to what Nene had done before. Araya scowled at him, then smirked at she walked up to him.

"How was being the third wheel, Raiden?"

He scowled. Her smirk grew wider. His scowl then grew into a smirk once more, as he asked, "I think the real question, is how is your relationship with Mitsunari going, Araya?" Her smirk was wiped from her face, and just as her blush was going down, it rose back up again.

"W-what are you on a-about! We aren't i-in a relationship!"

Kiyomasa turned to the twins, after having a silent conversation with Mitsunari, who was now walking over. He mockingly whispered to Raiden, "I bet you my dish of sake tonight that they've kissed at least twice."

Raiden laughed loudly. By this time, Mitsunari had walked over and was standing next to Araya. He whispered back, "No way, I bet you _my_ dish of sake that they've kissed five times. At the very least."

Mitsunari's scowl matched Araya's, and looking at them both they looked ready to kill. Weapons still in hand, Araya was very tempted to brandish them in front of Raiden and Kiyomasa to scare them. Instead, all she and Mitsunari did was just silently walk away, back to their own horses. During their conversation in the clearing, everyone else had already left, and was at Osaka Castle. Araya had suddenly remembered Mitsunari's advice to just not protest, because she knew if she did it would only make matters worse.

She placed her sais and shruikens back into her saddlebag, having collected and wiped the blood off the shruikens she had thrown at the bandits. She then untied and mounted Shadow, looked over her shoulder at Mitsunari, and asked, "You coming?" as he rode slowly to a standstill next to her. In reply, all he did was smirk, and bolted off on his horse. All Araya saw was a flash of chestnut, then he turned around and said in a high-pitched voice, "You coming?" as if to mock Araya's voice. Too bad that she actually sounded nothing like that. Her voice was a lower pitch, but still feminine, and soft, not screeching.

She scowled, and spurred her horse on to catch up with Mitsunari. "Ok, I genuinely sound _nothing_ like that! Your voice sounds like a screaming Naotora Ii."

Mitsunari had never actually heard Naotora speak, but from what he heard from Raiden and Araya about her it seemed like her voice was the literal definition of high-pitched. However, when Raiden described her, he did so with a faraway look on his face. Mitsunari smirked inwardly. _I'll have to tease him about that later, once I've got back at him and Kiyomasa for their little..._ bet _...earlier._

* * *

Back on the topic of Naotora's voice, Mitsunari said, "Technically, I've never actually heard her speak before, so I don't know what she sounds like." They had reached the gates of Osaka Castle and stopped, dismounted and gave their horses to the stable owners. They both detached their saddlebags and put them on their shoulders, then walked in through the front gates, stopping once they got to the main hall and seeing everyone other than Raiden, Kiyomasa and Masanori milling around. Seeing Araya, Hideyoshi walked over to her, with Nene in tow. Said ninja smiled, then smirked at Araya, noticing her rather close proximity with Mitsunari.

"Just because you haven't heard her voice, doesn't mean that you don't sound like her, Mitsunari." Araya rolled her eyes. "And here I was thinking that you were supposed to be wiser than me. Looks like you have some work to do on that."

Just as Mitsunari was about to give a snarky reply, Hideyoshi spoke. "Now! Araya, your usual room on the second floor is now occupied with a new general that came a few weeks ago; Hideyaki Matsumoto. I would ask you to move to your brother's room, but he rooms with Kiyomasa, so there is no space there. The only other two free rooms are either with Mitsunari here or Masanori Fukushima. I know that it isn't of the best convenience, but it is all we have at the moment. When we unite the land, we plan on spreading renovations to the castle anyway. Until then, I am sorry, but you have to choose. Which will it be?"

Araya froze. She couldn't share with either of them! Masanori was probably the lesser of the two in terms of awkwardness, but she didn't even know him. She hadn't taken the time to speak with him while she was ever working for the Toyotomi and Hashiba; he looked too annoying and foolish for her put up with.

Closing her eyes and sighing, she responded to Hideyoshi. "I understand why I can't have a room, and it's alright. I would like to share with Mitsunari, if that is fine with you?" She was asking that last part to both Mitsunari and Hideyoshi.

Mitsunari stood there, with his eyebrows raised, but nevertheless when she looked at him for an answer he gave her a minute nod of the head.

"Good! I'm glad to hear that it is fine. You can have some sake in the common room if you want. I'm going to rest now, in my room. Goodnight, I'll see you three in the morning!" Hideyoshi said, then walked up the stairs to his room. Just then, Raiden, Kiyomasa and Masanori entered the room. Masanori said something to Kiyomasa then left, heading down a small corridor. The remaining two misfits walked up to Mitsunari, Araya and Nene, with smirks and smiles on their faces.

"What did we miss?" Raiden asked.

Before Araya could inform him, Nene beat her to it, by bursting out with, "Araya and Mitsunari are sleeping together!"

If they had been drinking something, the two latecomers would have spat it out in pure shock. Both Araya and Mitsunari sighed deeply, knowing exactly what would happen next, but Araya also had a noticeable blush on her face also.

"I knew it! I told you they were a couple!" Kiyomasa shouted.

"Oh-ho! So you're sleeping together already, are you? When's the wedding?" Raiden questioned, with a mischievous smirk on his face.

Araya turned a bright red. "Th-that's not what s-she meant! We're only sleeping together in the same room because there's no others!"

"Mhm, but I guarantee that when me and Kiyomasa come to wake you guys up in the morning we'll either have to shield our eyes or find you two cuddling in your bed!" Raiden laughed, then high-fived Kiyomasa.

Nene laughed then yawned. "Well, I'm going to head off to my room too. Kiyomasa and Raiden, remember to tell me _exactly_ what you see in their room tomorrow morning! I bet three sake dishes that they're making out. See you tomorrow!" Nene ran off, snickering under her breath.

Araya blushed a deep scarlet. She had had enough of their teasing. She stormed off, heading towards the stairs, not really thinking.

"Araya! Do you even know where my room is?" Mitsunari snickered at her childish antics.

"I'll find it!" She yelled in return, not looking back.

He chuckled, turning back towards the other two, who were still giving him a huge smirk.

He grew irritated at their stares. "What is it?"

Kiyomasa laughed, then said, "You actually like her, don't you."

Mitsunari was baffled. Why would Kiyomasa think such a thing? Before he could reply with a resounding 'no', Raiden interjected.

"There's no point in denying it, Mitsunari. It's written all over your face." With that, he walked off, heading for his shared room, laughing under his breath.

"He's right, you know. It's pretty obvious. Anyway, don't you need to catch up with your little girlfriend?" Kiyomasa teased.

Mitsunari glared at him. "I don't like her, and she's not my girlfriend. What don't you two get about that?"

"Mhm, right. Ok, so she's not your girlfriend, and you don't like her. I definitely believe that. Anyway, goodnight Mitsunari. When we wake you up, at least try and have some clothes on, yeah?" Kiyomasa also left for his room, snickering along the way.

Mitsunari huffed. Those two were impossible. He yawned. _I should really be getting to bed now. I wonder what Araya's done to my room already? I only have one bed, a futon and a small screen. I'm not giving up my bed, so she can have the futon then._ _But then what can I meditate on? My covers?_ He went up the stairs, and down the hallway to his room door. He pressed his ear to it. Silence. He opened the door, and found that the layout had been changed slightly. His bed was pushed to one side, the dividing screen out but on the back wall also and then the futon to the other side, where the back wall and the right wall met at a junction.

A royal blue swimsuit-like piece was on the futon, along with silver lengths of fabric and similarly coloured boots and mask. Dark blue and silver shruikens, throwing knives and twin sais were next to the clothing, and a large black saddlebag filled with clothes was next to all of this. His spare, smaller chest of drawers was next to the futon also. _Her things, I presume. I'm surprised she actually found my room. But where is she?_

Mitsunari closed the door, and made to head down to the common room. Perhaps she was there instead. He was about to do that, when he heard something from behind him.

"Looking for me, I presume?"

Out of sheer reflexes, he spun round and pinned the figure who spoked to the door behind him. He looked down and saw a set of emerald eyes staring at him in annoyance. _Araya. How did she know?_

"What was that for!" she asked, annoyed.

Mitsunari smirked, remembering a prior conversation. He leant down and whispered in her ear, "Don't you remember when we first left the main camp? You spoke ill of me, so I said I'd do this once we get to Osaka. And now, here we are, at Osaka." His smirk grew wider. "And here I was, thinking that you weren't supposed to be stupid. Looks like you have some work to do on that." He recited, using her words in their dispute downstairs about Naotora Ii. "You aren't doing a very good job of proving to me that you aren't." With that, he left her there, fuming, as he went into his room, and shut the door.

As some sort of pathetic revenge, Araya didn't go inside straight afterwards, as he had expected her to. Instead, she stormed down to Nene's room, knocked on the door and waited for a reply. A few seconds later, Nene opened the door, eyes tired. All previous anger had dissipated from Araya, and her eyes softened as she took in Nene's exhausted figure.

"Oh, Nene..." She whispered with sorrow. "I'm sorry to have woken you; you must be exhausted. I'll let you sleep now. See you tomorrow morning."

Nene grabbed her wrist as she turned to leave. Araya looked at her in confusion. "It's fine Araya. I'm here now, anyway. What happened? A lover's tiff?" Nene's trademark enthusiasm seemed to return to her as soon as Araya blushed and groaned.

"Why does everyone think we're in love! We're not in the slightest!"

Nene chuckled. "Oh, Araya. It seems everyone can see it but you two. Anyway, what was the real problem?"

Araya scowled at Nene's statement. Nevertheless, she continued. "I was wondering if you know where I could get another armour stand? I usually don't ask this, but Mitsunari only has one for himself and my old room is taken..."

Nene smiled at her. "Actually, I have a spare one from when Hideyoshi used to sleep in here. You can have it. With that, Nene disappeared into the room, beckoning for Araya to follow. She complied, shutting the door behind her, and then sitting on Nene's bed as she rummaged through her drawers.

Nene stood up suddenly, brandishing a black armour stand. "Aha!" She said happily. She gave it to Araya, who thanked her, and was about to leave, but then a thought struck her.

"Nene, if it isn't too much of a bother to ask, why do you and Hideyoshi sleep in separate rooms? I thought since you were married and all..." She drifted off, not knowing what to say.

Nene had a dark look on her face for a second, then it passed just as quickly. "Araya, remember what I said back at that camp along the way here? About the whole, uhm, Chacha, situation?"

Araya remembered it clearly, and scowled when she remembered the events that led to Nene being abused. "As clear as day. Why?"

Nene had an uncomfortable look on her face, and realisation dawned on Araya. _Because when he uses his concubines, he needs his own bed, so he moved out, leaving Nene on her own. I wish I could give him a piece of my mind about that. He is a true coward._

"Oh, I understand now. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable, Nene; I had no intentions of that." She stood, and made her way to the door, armour stand in hand.

The uncomfortable look washed away, and was replaced with a relieved smile. "It's fine Araya. Goodnight, and remember, be decent when Kiyomasa and Raiden wake you two up tomorrow! I don't want them blinded." Nene jokingly commanded, laughing when a scowl appeared on Araya's face.

The scowl soon faded into a soft smile, and Araya began chuckling softly along with Nene. "Goodnight, Nene. See you in the morning." With that, she opened the door and left, Nene closing the door softly behind her.

Slowly, Araya made her way back to Mitsunari's room, not wanting to wake anyone up from her noise. She opened and closed the door softly, placing the armour stand beside the spare dresser. She began to place her war attire and weapons onto the stand, looping her leg straps around the base to keep them on. Next, she folded her kimonos and placed them into the drawer, but taking a black, silky one back out to change into. As she was putting her sandals in with the kimonos, she heard a noise to her left.

Mitsunari was tossing and turning in his bed, murmuring something along the lines of, 'No, don't die.. You can't die yet.. No!" Soon enough, he started to thrash around wildly, and it actually pained Araya to see him like that. Mitsunari Ishida, the stoic, wise warrior, reduced to near tears from a mere nightmare. She got up, and quickly crossed the room to him, and whispered, "Mitsunari... Mitsunari! Wake up! It's just a nightmare!"

He didn't respond.

After a minute of whispering to him like that, she gave up, and settled for just climbing on the bed and pinning his hands down to stop him from thrashing. However, as soon as she touched him, he stopped thrashing, awoke, grabbed her wrists and slammed her into the bed beneath him; all in one fluid motion.

Her eyes widened in fear. "M-Mitsunari? Are you alright?" She said.

The fog from his eyes seemed to clear at her voice, and his eyes widened as he saw what he had done. He let go of her wrists, muttered, "Sorry." and got off her, rubbing the back of his neck. She immediately got up, looked at him, and said, "It's fine; I understand." With that she walked back over to her dresser, and put the remaining sandals back. Then, she went behind the screen by her futon and got dressed in the silk kimono that had been dropped on the floor in her haste to quell Mitsunari.

Unbeknownst to her, Mitsunari was still awake, and was staring at the screen. _I'm surprised that she actually cared enough to wake me from the nightmare._ The slightly warm feeling flooded his insides once more. _Thank God that the moonlight doesn't hit the screen this time. I don't know what I would've done if it did again._ As she emerged from behind the screen, she noticed Mitsunari's stare on her.

"Yes?" She asked.

He seemed to snap out of some sort of daze. "Nothing. Goodnight, Araya." With that, he turned around, his back towards her, and fell into a slumber once more.

Araya just shook her head at him. _I'll never understand him_. She too slept, tiredness finally taking hold of her.

* * *

An hour or so later, Araya was woken up by muffled cries. She jumped up, expecting the worst.

Mitsunari was stuck in another nightmare. He was thrashing about a bit less wildly than the last time, but Araya still crept towards him slowly. As she reached him, she didn't grab his wrists, but instead put a hand on his head and started to stroke his hair, like she would do to a small child. "Mitsunari...Mitsunari! It's only a bad dream; wake up."

He didn't wake up, but instead gradually stopped thrashing until he was peacefully sleeping again. Araya couldn't help but stare at him. _He looks so peaceful when he sleeps. Harmless. Exactly the opposite of who he is. Could it all really be a facade like Kiyomasa said?_ She shook her head at herself. _Of course not. He still doesn't like me, even as a friend, does he? Why did I ever think he would?_ She walked back over to her futon, but this time, she didn't sleep. She sat on it, cross-legged, and began to meditate. Araya revelled in the silence. It wasn't suffocating, to her, as many people thought, but instead welcoming; inviting. It was the only thing that allowed her mind to fully rest, before she went insane with all her thoughts and feelings.

Before she even realised, Araya had meditated for a good few hours, as the window in the room began to stream in watery light. As it hit her face, her eyes shot open, not used to the calming feeling just yet. As she made to lie down to actually sleep, for the third time, she was stopped by noises from Mitsunari. She sighed. _I shouldn't be doing this, but I can't help it. I'm too caring for others for my own good._ This time, instead of touching him, Araya simply laid down on his bed, her back towards Mitsunari's chest. She then began to sing, hoping her voice would quell his movements.

Immediately, he stopped moving.

Araya knew what would happen if she left again, so she simply stayed exactly where she was. _His bed is so soft. I much prefer this to sleeping on the futon, so I'll stay for now. I'll leave again before he wakes up._ With that thought, she snuggled deeper into the bed, and unknowingly, into Mitsunari's chest. She fell asleep within a matter of seconds.


	4. Chapter 3

When Mitsunari awoke, the first thing he thought was, _What is on my chest? It tickles._ As he looked down, he was met with a dark head of hair. Reflexively, he stiffened, not being used to human contact. He then relaxed, knowing that his stiffening would probably wake the person up. As he blinked away sleep from his eyes, he also realised that his arms were also holding the figure close to his body. Remembering his last mistake of stiffening, he didn't react. Instead, he looked down, past the head of hair, and saw that the figure was in a black, silk kimono, the darkness contrasting hugely with their porcelain skin. His eyes widened. _Araya? How the hell did she get here? More importantly, how did I come to hold her in my sleep?_ Mitsunari didn't remember much after when he first awoke, when he pinned Araya down. Only a voice that sounded like honey and silk, mixed together. It was soothing, and calmed him down. He also remembered his disappointment when the voice went away, but his eyes were closed so he couldn't see who had sang. His eyes widened even more. _It must've been Araya, then. I never knew she could sing so well. Wait,_ he nearly froze. _Since when did she care enough to want to calm me from a dream?_ The same, slightly warm feeling filled him again, but it was a little warmer this time. _I can't move without waking her, and that is not an option. I'll let her handle the awkwardness and embarrassment when she wakes up instead. I don't have time for that._ With that, Mitsunari closed his eyes again, and slept, but this time he had a pleasant dream about honey and silk and emeralds.

A few minutes later, Araya awoke, still feeling quite drowsy. The first thing she noticed, was that her head had changed from the soft pillow to a firm, solid object instead. This object also had some sort of heartbeat, she noted. As she went to get up, everything came flooding back. Mitsunari having a third nightmare. Her laying down next to him and singing. Him immediately stopping. Her falling asleep, promising to move later on. _I must be on Mitsunari's chest!_ She blushed deeply, but didn't move. _I have to admit, I didn't expect him to have such a firm chest, but it is strangely comfortable._ She sighed, quietly. _Either way, I have to get up before he wakes up and notices._ As she made to get up, her waist was keeping her back. Mitsunari groaned quietly, and the barrier that kept her back grew tighter. But it didn't hurt. It was more of a comforting hold, that signalled protection. As she looked down, she found that Mitsunari's arms were curled around her waist, keeping her to his chest. She blushed even deeper. _He must not even realise what he's doing. But I can't leave now, not without waking him up and having a lot of explaining to do. I'll let him handle the awkwardness and embarrassment when he wakes up; I'm still exhausted._ By this time, Araya had snuggled even deeper into his chest, without thinking.

His steady heartbeat lulled her to sleep, and she had a pleasant dream about golden eyes and amber flecks and chestnut hair.

* * *

About another hour later, the door to their room opened quietly. Kiyomasa's head popped in through the doorway, and nearly fell over at the scene before him. Snickering quietly to himself, he went back into the hallway, closed the door, and ran quietly to get Raiden and Nene there to see for themselves.

Once he had rounded the two up, they all quietly tiptoed to Araya and Mitsunari's door. As Kiyomasa opened it, he whispered to the other two, "Be prepared to tease them for the rest of their lives."

Nene quietly giggled and Raiden snickered at that statement. Slowly, Kiyomasa walked into the room, beckoning for Nene and Raiden to follow. Once they were both inside the room, Raiden's jaw dropped, and Nene looked as if she was about to squeal in surprise. Noticing this, he quickly lunged to cover her mouth, but overestimated the force needed. Both he and Nene toppled over, and Nene's legs got caught with Raiden's as she fell so he was brought down too. The three misfits stayed on the ground in silence, desperately hoping that the crash made wouldn't wake the two 'lovebirds' up. Instead, they were shocked at what happened next.

Mitsunari stirred at the noise, then pulled Araya towards him, unconsciously. In reply, she then snuggled her head even deeper into his chest, right above his heart. In her movements, her right hand had been shifted, and was now being slowly stroked through Mitsunari's hair, absentmindedly. The three stared at the two in wonder and amazement. When sleeping, they showed more affection to each other than anyone could ever believe without seeing it for themselves.

"Aww," Nene whispered. "They look so cute together!"

Raiden chuckled. "I have to agree with you on that. Shame that they won't be like this when they wake up."

"I second that thought." Kiyomasa smirked at his next words. "Why don't we give them a little, _surprise_?"

"I like the way you think. I'm not sure what we could do though. Rip the duvet off them? Hide their clothes? Dump water on them?" Raiden asked, stuck for a plan.

"No way. We have to step it up. How about we dispose of the spare futon that Araya was supposed to sleep on?" Nene also smirked, working out the pros and cons in her head.

There were no cons.

"Yes! That's a great idea. Nene, you should move all her stuff off, and then grab it and keep it. I would say that we should hide it in our room but that's the first place that Araya will go to get it back." Raiden smirked evilly as Nene and Kiyomasa agreed with the plan. Nene slowly stood, tiptoeing to Araya's futon, and moving her large saddlebag off it. As she was lifting the futon, Mitsunari suddenly stirred, turning his head in Nene's direction. She froze. Kiyomasa, fearful that he would wake up, whisper-hissed at Nene.

"Abort! Abort! He'll wa-!"

Raiden covered his mouth, and nodded his head at Nene. _Don't mind him. Keep going, you've almost done it!_ Nene continued her journey, lifting the futon off the floor and quietly running towards the door. As she made it into the hallway, Mitsunari's eyes suddenly snapped open, having finally heard Nene's running footsteps. His eyes were still clouded with sleep, however, and he didn't fully wake up until he heard the soft, but sharp closing of the door. As he craned his neck in an effort to stretch it, he finally noticed the hand slowly stroking his hair. His breath hitched. Araya had turned her head while he was stretching, and made a noise of protest. She was now tucked into his neck instead of on his chest, and was breathing hotly onto his ear. Mitsunari suppressed a pleasant shiver at the feeling. _How am I going to get out of this without waking her up?_

He frantically racked his brain for options, his mind fuzzy from the surprisingly nice feeling of Araya's hot breath and her hand stroking his hair. He couldn't think straight. The only solution he could think of was to just wake her up, with no hesitations. As he made to shake her awake, he only then just noticed that he was still clutching her around her waist. _Are you serious! Why is everything going wrong_ now _!_ He nearly groaned out loud, then caught himself before he did. An idea struck him, as he did that, however. Since he couldn't shake her awake, he settled for the next best thing, which was to just wake her up talking out loud. Even though he could've easily just shaken his head fervently, knocking her hands off and therefore waking her, deep down he didn't want to do that. He revelled in their close proximity; not that he had realised that, however.

"Araya...Araya! We have to wake up." He said, into the air.

She stirred, but didn't wake, just muttering, "What now?" into his neck.

He suppressed another pleasant shiver, this one more violent than before. "Araya. We need to get up. Now."

This time, it did the trick, and Araya's eyes snapped open and her hand stopped stroking his hair. She then tried to get up, blushing and realising where she was, but was stopped for a second time by his tightly wrapped arms. He flushed, realising he was still holding her, and released her. "Sorry. Didn't realise." He muttered.

The hand that was stroking his hair before retracted completely, and she sat up in the bed, head still fuzzy. "Sorry about randomly coming into your bed and all," She blushed deeply, reprimanding herself for even succumbing to the tiredness from before. "Y-you were thrashing, and I didn't know how else to calm you down but to-" Araya froze, realising that she had sung to Mitsunari in the night. _What if he remembers that!_

"Sing?" Mitsunari questioned, with an eyebrow raised. All traces of care and affection were gone from him as soon as she left the bed, Araya thought.

 _Of course he remembered. Why am I not surprised?_ "Y-yeah. Sorry if it was bad, or whatever." With that, she turned away from him, and made to head for her dresser to grab her new clothes and head to the bathroom. When she turned, she missed Mitsunari's eyebrows raise in disbelief. _Does she honestly think she was bad? Far from it. I'm not going to tell her that though; God knows she'll be blushing throughout breakfast if I did._

He was cut off from responding to her, as she then spoke, nervousness evident in her voice. "Mitsunari? Do you have any idea where the _hell_ the futon disappeared to?"

He looked towards her in confusion. There's no way it could've just vanished. He stood up, and walked towards her, brows furrowed. "What do you mean, 'disappeared to'? It can't have just va- Oh." He had thought that she was just being stupid, and that the futon was right in front of her, but it had indeed disappeared. "What? How!"

"I told you. I'm not an idiot."

He scowled at her. "Technically, I didn't say you were. I said you had to _prove_ to me that you weren't. This isn't proving, this is just stating the obvious. You're not a complete idiot, congratulations!" He said, sarcastically.

She scowled in return. "Whatever. Anyway, have any ideas on where it could've gone? Must have been recently, since I was using it to meditate before I, you know, calmed you down." For once, she didn't blush as she said that sentence. _If he's just going to ignore the awkwardness of the whole thing, then so can I. Starting now._ She vowed then and there to always try and suppress any embarrassment or awkwardness. It was just making her an easy target for the others' teasing, and she hated it.

His eyebrows rose. Both at the fact that Araya didn't blush for once and that she was a meditator. "Never thought you were one to meditate."

She looked at him sharply. "Well, so what if I am?"

He mockingly put his hands in the air. "Calm down. I only asked." She scowled at him again. "Anyway, I have no idea where the futon is, but I can guarantee that either Raiden, Kiyomasa or Nene has it."

She had to agree with him on that. _They seem to want to push us together as much as possible._ "Should I check Nene's room and you check Raiden's?"

He smirked. "Sounds like a plan. After you," He said, mockingly gesturing for her to go first.

She scowled at his sarcasm, then gave him some herself. "Why, thank you. Never knew you were such a gentleman," She walked to the door, opened it and stepped out into the hallway.

He followed, still smirking. "Neither did I, to be fair. Meet back here in ten minutes." With that, he walked the opposite way to her, heading for Raiden and Kiyomasa's room. She also left, after scoffing at his retreating figure, down the opposite hallway to Nene's room.

* * *

Once Mitsunari had reached their shared room, he didn't bother knocking, and just walked straight inside and shut the door. Raiden looked at him from his bed in surprise, then smirked, remembering the scene they watched before.

"Morning, Mitsunari. What brings you here?" Raiden asked. Kiyomasa was just emerging from their bathroom, newly showered and dressed as he said this, and the two shared a knowing smirk.

"Cut the crap, Raiden. You know exactly what I'm here for." Mitsunari hissed.

"Relationship advice?" Kiyomasa butted in. "Have you two had a huge argument _already_?" He and Raiden both snickered. They were too mischievous for their own good, just like Nene.

Mitsunari scowled, then smirked, remembering the leverage that he had against the two. "Not at all. May I remind you that we're also not in a relationship?" He started. "I also suggest that you hand over the futon, before I _accidentally_ spill a few secrets."

Their eyes simultaneously widened, but then went back to normal, thinking that he couldn't possible have any secret that was that scandalous against them.

"Like what, Mitsunari? Do tell," Raiden challenged.

His smirk grew wider. "Oh, you know, a certain female that is in the Tokugawa, has a high pitched voice, you know, I think her name was N-" Mitsunari was cut off from revealing her name by Raiden.

"Alright, fine! Just, don't say her name, please." He begged. By now, Kiyomasa was very interested to know who this certain female was; Raiden had never mentioned anything about a girl before.

"Wait! Who is this girl, Raiden? I've never heard anything about her before." Kiyomasa smirked at him, who was now scowling.

"Whose side are you on, Kiyomasa!"

Mitsunari dissipated their argument. "Oh don't worry, Kiyomasa. I'll tell you in due time. Anyway, I'm also sure that you have taken an interest in a certain female too? Her name also begins with an N, and she mainly wears the colour go-" He was cut off again by Kiyomasa.

"Fine! I get your point, Mitsunari. Don't tell _anyone_ , about it, or you might find yourself without a futon permanently, you know."

Mitsunari scowled. "Fine, but hand over the futon first. What happened this morning will never happen again."

Raiden smirked widely. Mitsunari had slipped up. "What happened this morning, Mitsunari?"

His eyes widened, then narrowed at his mistake. "Nothing. Just a slip of the tongue, that's all. Hand over the futon. You know that I can't get another one." It was true. Hideyoshi had set up a rule that you are only allowed one futon per person, unless in some special cases that he had decided himself. The futons in the castle were rather expensive, as they were lined with velvet and had hand-crafted stitching. Only the finest for his troops, he had said.

"Oh, I know that. It's a shame that we don't have it though."

Mitsunari's eyes narrowed even more. "What do you mean you 'don't have it'? Who else could've taken it?"

Raiden barely suppressed a snicker as Kiyomasa answered. "Not sure, Mitsunari. I guess it vanished into thin air or something. Oh well, looks like you and Araya have to share your bed permanently now!" Mitsunari's eyes widened. "Well, I'll see you down at breakfast, Mitsunari. You coming, Raiden?"

"Yeah," Raiden stood, smirking, and walked over to the door. "See you later, Mitsunari! Have fun with Araya!" They both then ran out of the door, laughing loudly the whole way down the hallway.

Mitsunari still stood there in disbelief. _Surely it must be in here!_ He began to search everywhere in the room: under the beds, in all of the drawers, in the cabinets in the bathroom, inside pillowcases, under mattresses. It really wasn't in there. Annoyed, Mitsunari left the room, and headed back towards his room. As he approached, he saw Araya there, sat on the floor dejectedly. She looked up, and saw him. Her eyes brightened for a second, then dulled again as she took in his empty hands.

"No luck?" He asked.

She shook her head, and stood up. "I literally checked everywhere in her room! It's nowhere to be found."

"Same here. I practically ransacked their room, and there was no futon. There's nowhere else it could be!"

Araya sighed, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. "I don't have the time for their meddling right now. Let's just shower, get dressed and go down to breakfast before they eat it all."

Mitsunari chuckled. "To be honest, I can almost guarantee that they ate one of our portions just to see us argue about who got the last one."

Araya opened the door to their room, and walked in. She grabbed a sky blue kimono with flower embroidery and brown sandals, then finally replied to Mitsunari, who was also rummaging through his dresser for clothes. "Well then, let's not give them that satisfaction."

He stood up, clothes in hand and raised an eyebrow at her. _What do you mean by that, exactly?_

"I say we make a deal. Whoever gets showered, dressed and down to the dining hall first gets to have the bowl. Deal?"

He smirked, and shook her hand. "Game on, Kimura. Game on indeed." He whispered in her ear. She suppressed a pleasant shiver at his hot breath on her ear.

Araya then yelled, "Have fun starving, Ishida!" as she sprinted out into the hallway, heading for Nene's room to shower in instead. Mitsunari chuckled, then ran into the shower, his competitive side showing.

He wouldn't lose to Araya at anything.

Seven minutes later, Araya dashed down the stairs, heading for the dining hall, hair down in natural waves in her hurry. As she ran into the room, she noticed that there were only a few people there: Raiden, Kiyomasa, Nene, a random general that she didn't know, and there, sitting in all his glory, was Mitsunari.

"What...when... _how_?" She was in shock; she didn't expect Mitsunari to be quicker than her.

Mitsunari turned, and as he saw her, a smirk grew on his face. "Oh, it's you." he stood and walked over to her. "Looks like I won our little deal. Sadly, Raiden and Kiyomasa weren't as smart as we thought, and only ate their own portions, so you can still have breakfast." Araya chuckled at the practical insult to Raiden and Kiyomasa. "Instead, I choose that my prize should be another favour from you. So, you owe me two things again."

Araya scowled. "Just because I lost this bet doesn't mean that you get to choose your own prize. Anyway, how the hell did you manage to get down here faster than me?"

Mitsunari's smirk grew wider. "All in due time. I might just tell you after you've repaid your two favours."

"Fine. So where is this breakfast that I'm allowed?"

Mitsunari mockingly stepped to the side, and spread his arms out, showcasing the small breakfast bar that lead to the kitchen, that also had a single, steaming bowl of tanuki stew on top.

Araya's mouth nearly watered at the sight. She hadn't eaten, well actually, now that she thought about it, she hadn't eaten since she got back to her room while she was working with the Tokugawa, straight after the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute. As if on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly, and Mitsunari snickered. She gave him a sharp glare.

"Sorry that I haven't eaten since I left the Tokugawa; either way, it's not my fault. You were the one who kept me trapped at the stopover camp, so I didn't eat then, and as soon as we got here we went straight to bed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bowl of stew to be getting to." With that, she walked past him, making a beeline for the bowl, and grabbing it. She then sat down, next to a snickering Nene and opposite Raiden, who was sat next to Kiyomasa and Mitsunari. Without acknowledging anyone's presence, she began to eat, but with careful, precise movement and speed. _No need to give them another topic to tease me about._

* * *

She didn't notice everyone else's stares on her however, as she ate her food. She either only stared down at her food or at the chopsticks in her hand.

"What did you _do_ to her, Mitsunari?" Raiden questioned.

Said man then scowled. "I did nothing. She's just hungry."

"Doesn't look like it's just that. She's never completely silent any given time, unless she's pissed. So, I ask again, what did you do?"

Araya began to grow irritated at them. _I hate it when people talk about me as if I'm not even there. I can speak for myself, thanks._ However, she didn't show this. She just kept concentrating on her food, ignoring Kiyomasa's calculating stare. By this time, she was nearly finished with her tanuki stew, and was eating the last parts of the dish when Nene piped up.

"Guys!" All of their heads, except from Araya's, snapped towards her. "I think she would appreciate it if you stopped talking about her as if she isn't here, you know."

Araya finally reacted at that, and shot Nene a grateful look. Nene softly smiled back at her, even though she didn't actually understand what was wrong. As Araya finished her stew, she stood up, and silently walked towards the kitchen for it to be washed up. Back in the dining hall, Raiden, Kiyomasa and Nene all looked towards Mitsunari with expectant stares. He ignored them at first, and continued to eat his portion. Eventually he grew irritated, looked up and said, "What?"

Kiyomasa said, as if it was obvious, "Go after her, then!"

Mitsunari scowled. "Why me? Why not someone else?" In return, he received three glares. He huffed, "Fine! Whatever." stood up and also made his way into the kitchen. As he entered, he saw Araya kindly thanking the kitchen attendant for washing up her bowl, and her making her way to leave. On her way to the door, she finally noticed Mitsunari leaning against a countertop, staring at her. Her footsteps faltered for a second, before she regained her wits and continued on her path. Mitsunari sighed, exasperatedly, and moved to block the door, hindering her exit. She stopped in front of him and scowled.

"Could you move please? I'm really not in the mood for this right now."

He didn't budge. "Not until you tell me what's the matter with you."

A slightly warm feeling filled Araya; the same one that also filled Mitsunari prior. _Since when did he care about my social wellbeing?_

"Nothing. I'm fine. Could you please move now?"

He rolled his eyes in sarcasm. "Yeah, and I'm in love with you."

The slightly warm feeling disappeared. _That actually hurt me for some reason. But to be honest, why didn't I expect anything less than that?_ Araya's eyes clouded with a hint of hurt, but it dissipated after a second. However, Mitsunari saw it before it could and his eyes softened slightly.

"Honestly, Araya. What's wrong?"

She snapped. She didn't need nor want his pity for her fucked up mind.

Everything over the past two days hit her all at once. The worry of Raiden getting killed on the battlefield, leaving the Tokugawa, the drama with Nene, the drama with Mitsunari, the constant teasing. It was all just too much, all of a sudden.

"Nothing, alright! Look, I appreciate you coming here and all, even though you were sent by Nene and the rest," He flinched slightly at that. "But please, leave me alone for a while!" With that, she pushed him out of her way, and he stumbled, in surprise. She opened the door, and ran outside, heading for the stairs. He followed her almost immediately, jogging to keep up with her. He grabbed her wrist, and turned her around. What he saw nearly shocked him to the core.

Tears were streaming down her face, slowly but surely. She looked at him, straight into his wide eyes. "Are you happy now! Finally got to see what was wrong, huh!" He let go of her wrist, still in a state of shock. With that signal, she ran back into the dining hall and up the stairs, not bothering to say goodbye to the three thoroughly shocked occupants at the table. Mitsunari then walked back in a few seconds later, eyes still wide, and sat back down at the table. He shook his head, as if to clear it, and the shocked haze left his eyes. Eventually, he noticed the three's shocked stares at him, and he sighed deeply.

"Don't ask. Just let her be for a while."

* * *

Meanwhile, Araya had sprinted up the stairs, into their room and slammed the door. She slid down the door, eventually coming into a crouch with her head in her hands. _What's wrong with me? Why did I just scream at Mitsunari like that? He was only trying to help, but I didn't want his pity. The real question, is why did I get angry so quickly?_ Araya sighed deeply, stood up and crossed the room, to sit down by the window, since the futon was still missing. She closed her eyes, and began to meditate, but unlike normal, when she meditates to forget everything around her, she used the time to go over her thoughts and feelings about everything. Slowly enough, one by one, each issue was resolved, and she began to feel calmer. Finally at a standstill. Her tears had stopped, and a small smile graced her face for the remainder of her meditation.

* * *

By the time she opened her eyes, bright rays of light were streaming onto her face again, at full force. It was around midday; she had meditated for a good two hours, but had missed lunch. As she got up, she looked out of the window, and saw Nene and Kiyomasa taking a stroll through the gardens. A real smile came upon her face. _They don't even know that they both like each other in the same way. They're hopeless._ She chuckled softly when she saw Raiden, hanging from the tree that Nene and Kiyomasa were about to walk under, holding two handfuls of cherry blossom petals. As they walked under it, Raiden jumped down in front of them and threw one handful at their faces each. She watched as they both fell backwards onto the ground, blinded by petals, and Kiyomasa helping Nene up like a gentleman. _It's painfully obvious to everyone but them, just how much they're in love with each other._ Araya sighed. Then she realised something. _Where is Mitsunari?_ He wasn't in the room with her, as Araya would've heard the door open, and he wasn't outside with the rest. She needed to see him, so she could apologise for her actions earlier on. _I was out of order; completely controlled by hormones and feelings. It wasn't his fault._ She walked over to the door, and opened it, about to walk down the corridor to find him, when she turned and saw him sitting on the floor, looking at the wall silently, lost in thought.

"Mitsunari?" She asked. It seemed as if he had only just heard her leave the room, as he looked up at her in surprise, then quickly stood up.

"Araya..." He said.

After a moment of silence, they both blurted out, "I'm sorry," at the same time, without meaning to. Mitsunari shook his head at Araya.

"What are you sorry for? I crossed the boundaries of your personal space, and caused everything. You did nothing wrong, Araya." She was shocked beyond belief. The warm feeling filled her entirely, making her smile softly and shake her head.

"No, I was out of order. Completely controlled by hormones and feelings that had just built up over time. I was wrong to take my anger out on you, Mitsunari." Suddenly feeling an urge for contact between them, Araya hugged him.

Mitsunari stiffened for a few seconds, then slowly put his arms around Araya too. Before he realised what he was doing, he nestled his cheek against her hair, liking the downy, silky texture of it. In response, she reached up, and traced patterns on his back, liking the solidarity of it and enjoying feeling where his muscles contracted and relaxed.

All in all, they both found each other to be soothing, and relaxing. Exactly what they needed in this land of chaos. Suddenly remembering where they were and what they were doing, they both jerked back, blushing and flushing awkwardly.

"What compelled you to do that, exactly?" Mitsunari asked with one eyebrow raised. But he wasn't mad about it, and you could hear it in his tone. He sounded quite relieved, in fact.

"Just showing you my gratitude, that's all. I'm not completely heartless, you know." Araya smirked, knowing that he would remember his own words. Before he could reply, she continued. "Let's just forget that it all happened, alright?" Araya told him.

Mitsunari gave her his signature smirk. "Fine with me. Now," He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, beginning to walk down the hallway.

"M-Mitsunari! Put me down!" Araya protested, but then began to laugh.

"Not just yet. Wait until we get to our destination, then ask me politely. I might just let you down then." He looked at her over his shoulder, and his smirk widened as she began to grumble about how she would get him back for doing this to her. He just laughed in reply, and went down the stairs, out of the entrance and into the courtyard. About a minute later, they came across Raiden, Kiyomasa and Nene, throwing petals at one another. Beside them, was a clear lake, topped with some lily pads and rogue cherry blossom petals.

"Guys!" Mitsunari shouted. They stopped what they were doing, turned to look at him and smiled. They all walked over before speaking.

"Hey! I'm guessing that you two made up, then?" Raiden asked.

"I wouldn't really call it that, more like a mutual agreement." Mitsunari said and Araya nodded.

"But now, his version of an apology is by kidnapping me and taking me here against my will." Araya grumbled.

"You know, I did say that if you asked politely that I may put you down. _Care to listen more?_ " He mocked, using words from a previous argument.

Araya scowled, also remembering that event. "Fine then." She cleared her throat, sarcastically, and Raiden, Kiyomasa and Nene snickered. "My lord, if it is not too much trouble for you, could you please put me down? I'm sorry if it will cause you any inconveniences; that is not my intention." Just for added effect, she meekly bowed her head, though it was hard while she was still on his shoulder. Kiyomasa officially cracked up with laughter, Raiden and Nene soon following. Mitsunari just gave Araya a smirk.

"Well, since you asked so nicely, I suppose I could."

"Oh, thank you my lord! My greatest thanks go to you." Even Mitsunari started to snicker at her words.

"You're welcome. Just a word of advice," He said, then continued. He whispered the last part in her ear. "Be prepared." Without warning, he suddenly dropped her into the lake beside them, laughing as she arose.

"Mitsunari! I'll kill you for this!" She shouted, but was stopped from saying any more from a huge splash next to her. Mitsunari's head bobbed up from the water, slightly pissed off, but not fully, as he was still laughing at the furious look on her face.

"Raiden! Whose side are you on!" He mocked, using his words from that morning.

Raiden was too busy laughing hysterically on the floor at both Araya's and Mitsunari's faces to notice Kiyomasa creeping behind him. Before he even knew what was happening, Raiden was picked up and thrown into the lake by him, therefore covering Araya with another wave of water. However, before Raiden was fully out of Kiyomasa's grip, he grabbed hold of his wrist, hoping to topple him over too, and he succeeded. Kiyomasa wobbled on the bank of the lake before Araya's hand snaked up and grabbed his ankle, sending him into the water, and splashing Mitsunari, who was right behind her.

Nene was the only one left on the shore, and she had tears in her eyes from laughter. "Well, you guys seem to be in a bit of a, _situation_ , there." She jokingly put her hand behind her ear, listening for something imaginary. "Oh, is that Hideyoshi calling me? I'd better not be late. See you guys later!" She ran off, snickering.

Everyone laughed at her attempts to get away from the soaked four in the lake. Mitsunari, who was still behind Araya, leant down and whispered in her ear. "I'd like to cash in one of my favours, now."

She turned around in surprise, then raised her head slightly, challenging him. "Alright then, what is it? And be warned, I only take your first answer." She whispered the last part in his ear, her hot breath clashing with the cool water slowly dripping from her hair onto his bare neck. He suppressed another pleasant shiver, then smirked.

"You have to stand completely still for one minute, no movements, or the favour doesn't count."

Araya was confused. Her eyes then narrowed. "What's the catch?"

"All in due time. Get ready." He whispered, then waded over towards Raiden and Kiyomasa, who were having a little water fight. He informed them of his plan, and they agreed, wading back over to Araya.

"Ready?" He asked her.

Her eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms. _Give me your best shot, Ishida._ She didn't speak aloud, only nodded her head once.

"On my mark." A few seconds passed, then he yelled, "Now!"

Araya was pelted from her left, right and front with petals, small lily pads and water. She wanted to just swim away from it all, but a promise was a promise, and she wasn't one to go back on them. So she stood there, stoically, as she was nearly blinded by the nearby flora and fauna.

A minute had passed, eventually, when Kiyomasa yelled, "I think she's had enough, you know." and snickered loudly at the sight of Araya. Petals were plastered to her face, hair and torso, and a rogue lily pad managed to suction itself to her collarbone. Araya was beyond seething. _So this is what he meant. I'll be sure to get him back for this._

"Can I move now?" She ground out, careful to avoid getting a petal in her mouth.

All she heard were the snickers and laughs from the other three, then Mitsunari called out, "Yes. I think you've repaid your favour quite well." before he broke out in snickers again. All Araya did was huff in anger, and plunge down into the coolness of the lake, hoping that the water would gently wash everything away for her. It did; a flurry of pale pink petals started to float to the surface, while Araya still stayed under. She knew that she had no issues with staying under for longer than usual; her lungs were quite efficient. She closed her eyes, and her hair danced around her in the water. She looked ethereal, with the petals rising all around her, her calmness and serenity of being in the water, and the way her hair moved around her head; like a halo. At least, this is what Mitsunari was thinking as he looked down at her from above on the surface. A few seconds later, Araya's emerald eyes opened, and she swam to the surface, just as Mitsunari, Raiden and Kiyomasa were getting out.

"So," Raiden asked. "How did you like your little treatment back there, Araya?" He snickered. In reply, she just glared at him and crawled onto the bank, water pouring out of her soiled kimono. As she stood there with a dark look on her face, the water dripping off of her just seemed to emphasise the humour of the situation, and soon enough the three boys broke out in laughter again.

She looked at them sharply, hissed, "Not very much, to be honest." and stalked off, heading for her and Mitsunari's room to change.

* * *

As Mitsunari eventually made it to his room, still sopping wet, Araya had just emerged from the bathroom, fresh from a shower, and now instead in a forest green kimono, complete with brown tree embroidery along the hemline. She scowled at him when she caught sight of him.

He chuckled. "I presume that I'm not forgiven yet?"

She ignored his question. "Why did you do it?"

He quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "Do what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why did you choose that specific favour, over something else?"

He smirked. "Remember when I said that I had more interesting methods than just a wall slam? That was one of them."

Her eyes widened slightly, then went back to normal. "Alright. Good to know." She made for the door, when a thought struck her, and she smirked. "In fact, I've changed my mind. Do you want to spar in the training room?" By now, Mitsunari was peeling off the upper half of his black robes off his chest as she spoke. She had turned around for a reply, when she saw him half-naked.

"Jesus, Mitsunari. Put some clothes on!" She turned her back towards him, blushing ever so slightly, and heading for her armour stand.

He just laughed at her. "I would, if you gave me the chance. Questions, questions. And yes; I'll be down in the training room in twenty minutes." With that, he turned from her, grabbed his war attire and headed into the bathroom to freshen up. Araya began to take off her kimono and put on the main part of her war attire. She slipped off her sandals, tied on her leg straps, tucked a knife behind each calf and pulled on her boots. Then, she fashioned her hair into a high ponytail, forgoing the mask for once, filling her saddlebag with her weapons again and heading down to the training room with it over her shoulder.

* * *

True to his word, Mitsunari appeared in the training room around twenty minutes later, fully decked in his war attire, tessen in hand. Araya's back was towards him, as she was rummaging through her saddlebag for her twin sais, but she still heard him enter. Once she had grasped them, she turned and walked towards Mitsunari, who was standing in the centre of the sparring ring, waiting for her. The ring was a large circle of dirt in the centre of the room. Once she reached him, she said, "Let's make another deal. Whoever's the first to win three sparring matches, has to give up two dishes of sake afterwards. Deal?" She asked.

"Let's step it up a little," He smirked. "Whoever wins the best of three sparring matches, instead, gets _three_ favours from the loser, and it can be anything that they want. Deal?"

Araya smirked, her competitive side showing. She shook his hand, firmly. "Deal. Prepare to lose, _Ishida._ " She whispered his last name in his ear. As she made to pull away, he suddenly grabbed her forearm and pulled her back to him, to the point where his chin brushed the edge of her ear. "Only if you are too, _Kimura_." He whispered in reply. She pulled away, giving him an overly-sweet smile, before standing at one edge of the sparring ring. He chuckled, and walked to the other.

"Ready to lose?" He mocked.

"Give me your best shot, Mitsunari." With that, the first spar commenced. At first, they both circled the edge of the ring, scrutinising the other for any weaknesses. Countless training sessions with Magoichi helped her in this situation. _When assassinating someone, look at everything about them. Their build, how they stand, sit, and any movements. It could be life changing. Use everything around you to your disposal._ She did just that with Mitsunari, and couldn't particularly come across any weaknesses. Other than one. He seemed too guarded, keeping his tessen over most of his body. If she struck with one sai at his head, he would be forced to raise the tessen to protect himself, therefore leaving his body unprotected, and easy to 'damage' with her second sai. After a few more seconds of circling, she ran full speed at Mitsunari, executing the plan in her head, other than the fact that she wouldn't actually hurt him. Intentionally, anyway. She made to strike his head with the sai in her right hand, and as she suspected, he raised his tessen to deflect the blow. In one fluid motion, she pushed back against him with that sai, forcing him to stumble slightly, and therefore lowering his guard for a fraction of a second. With that leverage, she shot out her left hand, aiming for the sliver of skin that you could see that wasn't covered by his body armour.

However, as she did so, it seemed like Mitsunari had expected it, as he suddenly twisted, forcing Araya's right hand to slip away from his tessen and knocking her off balance slightly. With the turning, the sai in her left hand also clanged off his black body armour instead of where she was aiming for. In her momentary swaying, Mitsunari pushed back at her, forcing the sai in her left hand out and onto the floor, and leaving Araya herself to topple over. Before she did so, she did a backflip, landing in a crouch at her fallen sai and picking it up again.

"Nice try, Kimura."

"Ditto."

 _Enough talking, I need to win this!_ Araya racked her brain for options. Mitsunari was wiser than she thought. Then it struck her. She quickly felt both sides of her waist, making sure they were there. Then, again, she ran full speed at Mitsunari, putting both sais into her left hand, and grabbing two shruikens from her right side waist pocket and hurling them at Mitsunari. His eyes widened. He quickly raised his tessen to block one, and did the same with the other, but in the time it took him to do that, he was momentarily distracted and Araya had jumped onto him, knocking him to the floor, sais back into both hands. In his surprise, the grip on his tessen went loose, and clanged on the floor also, a bit away from him. Araya used this distraction to her advantage, and quickly placed a sai on his neck. Mitsunari stilled, as she whispered, "Dead." She slowly got off him, collected her fallen shruikens, and went back to her corner. Mitsunari stood up, a scowl evident on his face.

"Hmm, I forgot to add in the fact that you were only allowed one weapon of choice. Looks like you took advantage of my momentary slip up. I think that you've officially proved that you aren't stupid!"

Araya scowled at him. "Why thank you, Mitsunari, but I believe that I have one more match to win?"

He grew serious immediately. "I think you're mistaken. I have two matches to win, and you have two matches to lose. Let's finish this."

"Get ready; last time I went easy on you. Now, I won't be so distracted."

"Ditto." He mocked.

* * *

Meanwhile, they didn't notice Nene standing in the doorway, watching their first sparring match in amazement and wonder. _They are both extremely skilled: I would never want to go against them in a fight. Araya is an even better ninja than me; I think she matches Hanzō's abilities, too. Everyone else needs to see this for themselves, as well!_ With that thought, Nene raced off to round up some spectators, only hearing Araya say 'Ditto', before she dashed off.

A few minutes later, Nene had rounded up Hideyoshi, Kiyomasa, Raiden and the new general, Hideyaki Matsumoto, to watch Araya and Mitsunari spar. By the time that they were all able to watch, and keep silent, they saw Araya sitting on Mitsunari's mid-section, holding a sai to his neck and saying, 'Dead'. The end of their first sparring match.

* * *

Araya scowled. _Just one more match. That's all._ This time, Araya decided to be defensive. Just as she was thinking this, Mitsunari dashed at her, nearly slicing her with his tessen if she hadn't jumped to the side. He recovered quickly, but so did Araya. She already had her sais up, ready to parry any strikes. The only advantage that Mitsunari had over Araya was the sheer size of his tessen. It was about three-quarters of Mitsunari's height, and Araya wasn't much taller than that. This time, Mitsunari ran towards her, but faked a left swipe at her, causing her to lean to the left to deflect it. With her off balance, he did a leg sweep under her, suspending her in the air for a second, but while she was, she pointed her sais downwards, to the floor. When she landed, instead of straight on her back, the sais dug into the ground, providing her with the stability to perform a tucked backwards somersault, landing in a crouch again, with both sais pointing left and right. The height of the sais allowed her to gain leverage off the ground, which she couldn't have done with throwing knives or a dagger, for example.

"I have to say I'm impressed, Araya. I didn't think you'd be able to get out of that."

"Complacency leads to cockiness, which leads to mistakes. Don't underestimate me."

"Noted." He then again ran at her, just as she was standing up. Since she moved her arms towards her body last, they couldn't protect her in time when Mitsunari barraged into her, knocking her sais out of her hands in their momentary instability. Araya was again falling to the ground, and she felt behind her leg straps for the two throwing knives that were nestled there. She tugged them out, and again dug them into the floor to stop her from falling all the way, to avoid disorientation. Mitsunari was immediately on top of her, his tessen about to swipe for her neck, when her right leg looped over, kicking the tessen out of his hands also. Her hands still on her throwing knives, she let go momentarily and slid out underneath him while he was distracted, tugged her throwing knives out, and held them in front of her face and chest, expecting the worst.

Unfortunately, the tessen had only been knocked to her left side, so he was able to grab it quickly after she got up, him recovering faster than her and covering the small distance between them. She had just lifted her throwing knives to protect herself, when she was knocked to the ground, fully. Her head would've smacked against the floor, if she wasn't holding her knives. For the last time, she dug them into the ground, and used them to not hold her up, but instead to twist her to the side, reducing the impact of her fall. Mitsunari again sat on her midsection, holding his tessen tightly, and placed it against her neck before she could tug her knives out of the ground. She stilled, not wanting to hurt herself. "Dead." he whispered, albeit triumphantly. He stood up off her, and offered her a hand, which she took and heaved herself up with. She collected her knives and twin sais, and again stood at her corner.

"May I ask, why did you always dig your knives or sais into the ground when you were falling?"

She answered truthfully. "To avoid my head smacking against the floor, which will bring disorientation."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Remember, whoever wins this match wins three favours." he smirked at her. "Are you prepared to lose?"

"Only as much as you are." She replied, getting into a special position which was both offensive and defensive. Unlike the last time, Mitsunari didn't run straight at her, and circled the ring again. Slyly, Araya reached into her left waist pocket, collected the two shruikens that were there and did the same with the two that she put back in her right waist pocket. Mitsunari noticed this, however, and spread his tessen out to its full capability, which made it just brush his chin. Araya wasn't deterred by this, though. Since he had already seen, she clipped her sais to her belt on either side of her, ready to be released easily. Without warning, she tossed two shruikens at Mitsunari, and he deflected them, but as he was doing so, she threw the other two at his exposed left side, forcing him to move quickly and rather unstably. _Time to show him the special modifications on my sais, I think._ With that, she ran forward slightly to gain momentum and threw her sais at him. His eyes widened. Araya knew that eventually he would slip up from being barraged with weapons, and he did. As the sais hit his tessen, they bounced back to her, and she caught them by the hilt, running full speed at Mitsunari. She had successfully unnerved him enough for her to strike easily. Even though he didn't know her sais could boomerang back, however, he had expected her to run at him, and so when she reached him he caught her arm and pushed her back. With her slightly unstable from her momentum, he took the opportunity to jump on her.

Again, as she fell, she dug her sais into the ground, and twisted again. This led Mitsunari to fall on the ground himself, but he jumped up quickly, just as Araya pulled her sais from the ground. This time, Mitsunari ran at her, aiming to swipe his tessen at her midsection. In order to stop his advance slightly, she again threw her sais at him, but this time, Mitsunari expected it so he ducked, and they went sailing over his head. Araya's eyes widened, but she still fought. She grabbed a shruiken from each waist pocket, not throwing them at Mitsunari until he was close. She ducked down as he reached her, caught his leg and sent him to the ground. She jumped on his midsection, ad was about to place the shruiken to his neck, when he lifted his right arm, holding his tessen, and placed it at the back of her neck. He had expecting her to trip him, and when he fell he made sure to stretch out his right arm out of her reach. Araya scowled deeply, as he whispered, "Dead." with a smirk on his face. He removed his right arm from her neck, and she got off him, begrudgingly offering him a hand to get up. Instead of getting up, Mitsunari tugged on her hand sharply, sending her back on top of him, faces inches away from each other.

Araya's eyebrow rose. "Keeping me trapped again?"

His smirk grew wider. "Not for long. I just wanted to hear you say my congratulations."

She scowled. "Does this count as a favour?"

"Not at all. Just say it."

"Fine." She cleared her throat, mockingly. "I, Araya Kimura, present you, Mitsunari Ishida, with three favours from myself, and it can be anything that you want."

"Why, thank you. I'll let you know when I'm ready to cash them in." With that, he let go of her hand, and she stood.

"Not going to offer the winner a hand?"

"After what happened last time, not at all." She smirked, and he stood up on his own, sheathing his tessen. Araya was about to walk over to her fallen sais and shruikens when she heard furious clapping coming from the doorway. Hideyoshi, Nene, Raiden, Kiyomasa and another general that Araya didn't know walked in, while clapping in awe. Nene, Raiden and Kiyomasa gave the two a smirk, noticing their close proximity when they were on the ground. Araya just looked at them in surprise, not once during the three spars noticing that they were there.

"Amazing! You two are exceptionally skilled; I commend you both. I'm thankful and proud to have you in the Toyotomi, at my side." Hideyoshi praised. Both Araya and Mitsunari bowed, feeling gratitude at his words.

"Thank you, my lord. I will always fight by your side." Mitsunari said.

"I'm glad to have chosen the Toyotomi, Lord Hideyoshi." Araya added. With that, Hideyoshi nodded at the two, telling them to keep up the good work, and left with the other general. Araya then picked up her fallen weapons, and attached them to her belt and pockets, before Nene spoke.

"You guys were great! We were all really impressed. You're an even better ninja than me, Araya." Nene praised.

Araya was about to dismiss her last statement, when Raiden butted in. "Yeah, they were great, but you could cut the sexual tension with a knife." He smirked as Kiyomasa joined in.

"Especially in that bit at the end. Tell us, Mitsunari, what compelled you to do that?" Kiyomasa had a huge smirk on his face that matched Nene's and Raiden's. Araya's scowl matched Mitsunari's.

"It was just for her to say her congratulations personally. Nothing that your dirty minds are thinking of." Mitsunari answered, his eyes narrowed.

Raiden snickered. "Right. Very _personal_ indeed."

Araya huffed, grabbed her saddlebag and walked past the snickering three to the entrance. She was exhausted; fighting Mitsunari had taken a lot out of her. Said man was right behind her as she left, also exhausted. He had to admit that Araya was a much better ninja than he remembered her to be, and fighting her had drained his energy quickly. As they both made it to their room, they both unknowingly collapsed on the bed in a tangled heap. Araya fell asleep within seconds, forgetting where she was, as her exhaustion took over her. Mitsunari looked down at her, wondering how she could be so comfortable towards him now, but soon followed her into peaceful oblivion.


	5. Chapter 4

Around an hour later, Mitsunari awoke, feeling somewhat groggy and drowsy after his nap. He noticed that he was still in his war attire, and went to change, when he saw Araya sleeping peacefully on his chest again. He also noticed that his arms were around her waist once more, and they had somehow moved from being half-off the bed to being fully on it, even though they were on top of the duvet. _What is it with me and holding her in my sleep?_ This time, instead of trying to wake her, Mitsunari just carefully retracted his arms from her waist, but Araya made a noise of protest, feeling cold suddenly, and grasped his right bicep unconsciously. He was surprised. _How did she know I was leaving? And why does she want me to stay?_

Her eyes suddenly opened slightly, still hazy with sleep. "Stay," she murmured. His eyebrows shot up at the word. He had to admit though, he could go for another nap. He replied to her.

"Alright, but let me take off some armour first. It's uncomfortable to sleep in." She nodded sleepily, closed her eyes again and let go of his arm. He then proceeded to take off his metal gloves, his shin and knee guards, his shoes and his chestplate, and placed them under the bed. He then climbed back onto the bed, lying next to Araya, who had fallen asleep again. He stared at her. _How could someone so deadly look so harmless? She proved so down in the training room, but now she looks as if she couldn't hurt a fly._ He yawned, eyes beginning to close. Araya had shifted suddenly, and her head had again found its way onto Mitsunari's chest, right above his heart. _It seems like we just unconsciously shift towards each other in our sleep. At least it isn't as awkward anymore. I wonder why we d-_ The rest of Mitsunari's thought was lost as he again fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Another half-an-hour later, Araya woke up, feeling warm and serene. She noticed Mitsunari had kept to his word, and returned to the bed, his arms tight around her midsection. As she looked up at him, soft orange light was hitting the side of his face, making his chestnut hair glow a light amber colour, like the flecks in his golden eyes. She looked at him in wonder. _How can he look so, for the lack of a better word, god-like, just from a simple sunset ray hitting his face?_ _I'll never understand him._ With that thought, she slid out from his hold, with some effort, and got up from the bed. As she was about to walk to grab her forest green kimono, his hand suddenly shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back to the bed. His golden eyes opened, looking a burnt amber in the late sunset's rays.

He smirked at her, hazily. "Stay," He mocked.

Araya scowled, then couldn't help but smile at his use of words. "We can't, dinner will probably be being served around now."

He yawned, then also got up, unintentionally flexing his muscles as he did so. Araya's eyes followed the movements, somewhat fascinated, but not in the way you would think. Instead of wanting to run her hands all over his biceps and triceps like most girls would, she was wondering about how something so strong could hold her so softly in an embrace, without meaning to.

Unfortunately, Mitsunari caught her stare, and misinterpreted it. He smirked at her. "Like what you see?" He flexed his muscles once more. She scowled at him, in reply, and he chuckled, searching through his drawers for a different robe to wear. She grabbed her kimono and a pair of matching dark brown sandals, and went into the bathroom to change. She changed quickly, and as she came out of the bathroom she saw Mitsunari wearing a classy black robe with a red knot to keep it together, and he was placing his armour back on his stand. Araya walked over to her stand, and placed all of her armour back too, picking up her saddlebag from where she dropped it next to Mitsunari's bed and placed it beside the stand. As she looked up, she saw Mitsunari leaning on the door, waiting for her.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded in reply, and he opened the door and they both walked down to the dining hall, shutting the door behind them.

* * *

Dinner was uneventful, other than the occasional snide remark from Araya or Mitsunari towards Nene, Kiyomasa or Raiden for commenting on their non-existent relationship, in the defending two's words. As they all stood up to leave, Hideyoshi walked up to the group of five.

"Good evening! Araya and Mitsunari, could you two come with me please? I have something that I need to discuss with you." He asked. They both nodded and left with Hideyoshi, passing each other confused glances as they were led into the main war room, which was used for discussing tactics and plans.

"Please, have a seat, both of you." He told them. They complied, and sat down in seats next to each other.

"Now, my scouts have given me news that there has been a small rebellion a bit far from here, and some troops have defected. I am giving you two, along with about thirty horsemen, the mission to quell this uprising. It is around forty miles west, based in some rocky plains. It would be best if you left tonight, perhaps in a few hours, to finish the battle by late morning, and hopefully make it back before nightfall again tomorrow. Do you understand so far?" Araya's eyes were slightly wide at the sudden wave of information, but still nodded along with Mitsunari.

"Good. Their unofficial leader is called Terumoto Arima. You'll know who he is as soon as you see him. Apparently, around fifty soldiers rebelled, but unlike usual, don't hold back. They should be punished for defecting so easily." It was clear to see just how much Nobunaga Oda had influenced him at that moment. "It should be light work, considering both of your levels of skill - I expect you two to come back to us in one piece. Your horsemen will be waiting by the Western Gate at ten o'clock; I'll leave you two to decide who will be the leader and co-leader of your battle. You are both dismissed." With that, they both stood and left the room, silently agreeing to discuss the situation in their room. Once they had both made it inside and shut the door, Araya plopped down on the bed as Mitsunari spoke.

"So, looks like we'll be gone for a while. I'll ask the kitchen attendants for a few containers of food." He walked over to her, leaning against the dividing screen that had now been moved flush against the wall by the bed since the disappearance of the futon. They had silently agreed that afternoon when getting ready for their sparring session that there was no need for it; one person could change in the bathroom and the other could change in the empty room.

"Alright. You can be the 'leader', by the way. The soldiers know you, anyway. Besides, I'm an assassin. I'm not one to lead an army, no matter how small."

Mitsunari raised an eyebrow in surprise. He was certain that she would put up a fight to be the leader. "Fine by me. It's a good thing that we rested after the sparring matches, or we probably wouldn't be able to fight properly."

An idea popped into Araya's head. She would test just how much Mitsunari appreciated the things she did, even if he didn't know that she did them herself. "Actually, I'll go and ask the kitchen attendants for some food. The soldiers will already have their own." She smirked at him as she said her next sentence. "God knows that you'll probably scare the poor cooks into making us food, anyway."

He scowled at her. However, he had to admit that she was right. He just didn't say it out loud. "Fine. I'll go and let Nene and the rest know where we're going, before they make up some sort of conspiracy theory that we've ridden off into the sunset when they don't see us at breakfast tomorrow."

Araya snickered. It was true; they probably would think of something like that. She stood, opened the door, and suddenly gained a huge surge of confidence in herself. She looked over her shoulder at Mitsunari, who was just pushing himself off the wall to follow her.

"When I get back, I'm going to take another nap. You're welcome to join me, if you want." She said, in a nonchalant tone, before leaving down the hallway. Mitsunari froze in his tracks and stood there, thoroughly baffled. _When did she get that confident? I have to say though, I'm not disliking it._ He shook his head, chuckling, and also made his way down the opposite corridor, heading for Nene's room first. When he got there, he found that she wasn't there. _Strange. Maybe she's with Raiden and Kiyomasa or Hideyoshi._ Nevertheless, Mitsunari made his way down another hallway to Raiden and Kiyomasa's room, and heard some furious whispering from within.

"They...together...obvious!" was one of them, and it sounded distinctly like Nene. He knocked once on the door, and the whispering ceased instantly. The door then swung open, revealing a smiling Nene and a snickering Kiyomasa and Raiden. "Mitsunari! We were wondering where you were. Where's Araya?" She asked, and let him into the room.

"She's in the kitchen downstairs, but I need to let you guys know about something." He said, sitting down on one of their futons.

Kiyomasa gave him a smirk. "Finally revealing your not-so-secret relationship to us? Believe me, we've known for a while."

Mitsunari half-heartedly glared at him. "No. Whatever romantic relationship you're talking about is non-existent, for the last time. Anyway, I actually came to tell you about what Hideyoshi called us for. He's sending the two of us on a mission to stop a small uprising a few miles west of here. We'll be gone in a few hours and won't be back until about tomorrow night. Just wanted to tell you guys that, before you freak out tomorrow morning thinking that we've run off together, or something equally as insane." He rolled his eyes at the end, and stood, heading for the door.

"Wow! How romantic," Raiden drawled sarcastically. "A battlefield is the perfect place for a first date; good thinking Mitsunari."

Said man then scowled, and opened the door. "Try not to steal anything else of ours while we're gone, alright? I'm still looking for that 'vanished' futon that you three have 'no involvement with'."

They snickered, remembering their activities that morning clearly. Mitsunari rolled his eyes at them. They were all so childish. "Be good, children. See you tomorrow night." He said sarcastically.

"We will, father! Tell mother that I'll miss her!" Raiden couldn't help but quip as Mitsunari slammed the door closed with a huff. They broke out into loud laughter as he left, and he rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile at their actions. Instead of heading back to their room, he headed downstairs to the stables, to ask the stable owners to take their respective horses to the Western Gate in about two hours.

* * *

Meanwhile, Araya was in the kitchen. Instead of asking the attendants, she cooked the food for her and Mitsunari. _This is just a little test to see how appreciative he is of the things I do._ She made teppanyaki-style noodles with beef strips for their early breakfast tomorrow morning, and nikujaga for their lunch. She packed the four portions of food into separate containers, along with four sets of chopsticks. She then packed all of this into a navy blue knapsack, with a few bottles of water. Araya thanked the attendants for letting her use the kitchen, and set off back upstairs to their room. She dropped the knapsack and the floor near the door once she made it, and true to her word, decided to take an hour long nap to rest up before they left for battle.

As Mitsunari entered their room about five minutes later, the first thing he saw was Araya sleeping peacefully on the bed. He chuckled. _I still don't get how she can look so innocent when sleeping._ He knew that he should probably be changing into his war attire and getting ready, but the bed looked so tempting. _We still have two hours until we leave, why not take a short nap?_ With that thought, he climbed back into bed and closed his eyes. Somehow, he automatically slipped his arms around Araya's waist, and pulled her back flush against his chest. He fell asleep seconds after.

At his movements of her, however, Araya woke up slightly. She felt warmth radiating from a source behind her, and as she looked back, she saw Mitsunari sleeping calmly. She smirked lazily. _Looks like he took up my offer, then._ A thought popped into Araya's head, and she grew curious. _I wonder why he hasn't been having nightmares while he's sleeping anymore? The last one was right before I climbed into the bed last night, actually._ She yawned quietly, shutting her eyes and unknowingly moving closer to Mitsunari, turning herself slightly so that her head now fit snugly into the crook of his neck. She fell asleep again seconds after.

* * *

An hour later, at around nine o'clock, Mitsunari awoke. He felt strands of something silky and downy tickling his throat and neck. He looked down and saw Araya's black hair splayed everywhere, forming a mini halo above her head like when she was in the lake. He smiled softly at the sight of her. She looked like a little kitten, tucked into his neck like that. He then successfully let go of her waist this time, standing up from the bed slowly, as he was still shaking off the last clutches of sleep. By then, he had actually gotten used to them waking up, curled around each other, and liked the warmth that Araya gave him. He then grabbed all of his armour and war robes, and headed to the bathroom to change.

Little did he know, the closing of the door to the bathroom woke Araya up. She immediately felt cold, patting the empty space beside her, which was still a bit warm from Mitsunari. With a sigh, she heaved herself up, still quite drowsy, and began to change out of her kimono and into her navy blue and silver outfit. She turned towards the window as she was changing, looking out beyond the embankments of the castle and into the surrounding forest. As she finished tying her leg straps, the bathroom door opened and Mitsunari stepped out, decked in his armour and robes. He looked slightly surprised to see her up and dressed already, but it quickly vanished. Araya turned around, giving him a once over and nodded. She grabbed her boots, pulled them on and started to attach her throwing knives and shruikens to her body, lastly clipping her sai blades to her belt. Again, she didn't wear her mask, wanting to try a battle without it for the first time. Mitsunari had just picked up his tessen and his saddlebag, when Araya spoke.

"You did tell Nene and the rest where we're going, right?"

He scowled. "Of course I did. I'm not an idiot."

She smirked at him. "Just checking. I'm not always sure."

He lightly glared at her, and went to stand by the door just as Araya walked over to the knapsack by it. She lifted it onto her unoccupied shoulder, and waited for Mitsunari to open the door. He smirked at her, knowing what she wanted him to do, but he just stood there, watching her.

She huffed, and said, "Well? Aren't you going to open the door?"

"No, I'd rather not waste my energy."

She huffed again, dropped her saddlebag, opened the door, picked it back up again and walked out into the hallway, Mitsunari in tow.

"See? That wasn't so hard, now, was it?"

She half-heartedly glared at him. "Whatever. Let's just head downstairs for the Western Gate, before we're late." She then proceeded to walk down the corridor and downstairs, and then outside to the Western Gate. Once they had made it there, they noticed that all thirty horsemen were waiting patiently on their chestnut horses, making idle chit-chat while waiting for Araya and Mitsunari. Mitsunari then disappeared for a second, before bringing back both of their horses to her. She then attached her saddlebag to Shadow, and using a length of rope from a random horseman to attach the knapsack of food to the other side. As she trotted over to Mitsunari, she then just noticed that he wasn't wearing his infamous fire-coloured wig.

"Forgoing your fire, for once?"

"Forgoing your mask, for once?" He retorted, smirking.

She scowled. "Yes."

"Then my answer is the same as yours." He said, then walked away to the very front of the pack of horsemen, beckoning for Araya to follow while leading his horse behind him. She complied, and he cleared his throat, garnering everyone's attention. He spoke loudly, addressing them.

"Men, our enemy is the foolish men who dared to defect from our lord. They must be all taken out, at any cost!" The horsemen gave a victory cheer. "Come, and help us to defeat this rebellion!" With that, the men gave another victory cheer, and Araya and Mitsunari set off on their horses at a fast pace, leading the thirty horsemen behind them.

"That was a very encouraging speech back there. I'm impressed." She smirked at him.

He rolled his eyes in return. "Why, thank you. Never knew you were one to compliment others."

She scowled at him, but didn't reply, instead focusing her gaze forward, into the forest. She was searching for any bandits that might ambush them, like last time, and was relieved when she found none. She didn't want any casualties, even on the battlefield.

"Let's just hurry up, and finish this battle. I'd rather be resting right now, to be honest." She said.

Mitsunari had to agree with her on that. He had been sleeping well over the past day; since Araya had arrived, coincidentally, and had found himself on more than one occasion looking forward to sleeping later on in the day.

* * *

Four hours later, Araya first caught sight of the rocky plains that Hideyoshi had described. She also saw a small camp about three miles away that was glowing with light. _The enemy camp._ The only reason that she could see it from where she was on her horse, was because she and the army were on a small cliff, which provided a good vantage point.

"Stop here! We shall rest here for the night." Mitsunari shouted, stopping and dismounting his horse. The following horsemen also stopped, dismounted and tied their horses to nearby trees. Araya also dismounted, and walked to the right for a minute, trying to find a suitable place for everyone to rest. She had found a small clearing in the trees, filled with moss and grass, with a large tree in the middle. _Perfect. I'll call everyone over._ She ran back and did just that, and everyone was soon filing into the clearing, settling down in little groups.

* * *

It was a rather chilly night, and Araya shivered slightly in her attire, parts of her bare legs starting to feel numb. _A good run would warm them back up. I'll find some firewood, while I'm at it._ With that, she disappeared into the nearby forest, leaving behind the army and a curious Mitsunari, who had seen her leave. He looked around, and saw that the horsemen were all occupied. They wouldn't see him slip away for a while, so he did just that, walking in the direction that Araya had ran before.

Meanwhile, Araya had found some dead trees a few minutes away from their little camp, and proceeded to break off some small branches for firewood, collecting them in her arms. As she turned from a tree she had just stripped, a pair of arms snaked around her waist. At first she thought it was Mitsunari, but the hold felt all wrong. The person holding her was hurting her in their grip, and the hold felt constricting, instead of comforting and protective, like Mitsunari's did. Realising this in horror, Araya dropped the firewood she was holding and kicked the person, hard, in between the legs. Immediately, the hold on her was gone, and she heard a grunt of pain. As she looked down, she saw a figure clothed in black, and more were emerging from the dead trees around her. _Bandits._ She cursed herself mentally. _How did I get so distracted as to not see, or even hear them?_

One of them suddenly spoke. "Well, aren't you a pretty little thing." The tone sent chills down Araya's back. "Looks like you crossed our territory here, girl, and also hurt one of us. I think we'll have to punish you for that. Don't you think so, boys?" A collective agreement rose from around her, and as she swivelled, she noticed that they had all formed a ring around her. She also just noticed that she was in a small clearing, similar to the one that she had found before. There was about twelve bandits in total, excluding the one who she had kicked, who was now dragging himself away on the floor; providing that no others came as well.

Her eyes hardened. She slyly reached back into her waist pockets, the darkness surrounding her making her movements unknown. Very limited moonlight was hitting this area, as the dead trees were rather tall and formed a slight copse, branches interlocking from above. As her hands met the cool metal of the shruikens inside her pockets, she suddenly tossed two at two approaching figures. They both fell instantly.

"Looks like you messed with the wrong girl." Araya couldn't help but taunt.

The same voice spoke up again, having noticed the two fallen bandits. "You'll regret doing that. Boys, go!" Suddenly, the nine other remaining bandits all charged at her at once. Her eyes widened. _Where is Mitsunari when you need him? In fact, no. I'll do this on my own._ With that thought, she withdrew more shruikens, tossing them frenziedly, but calculated all the same. One by one, the bandits began to fall. However, one suddenly reached her as she threw a shruiken, and knocked her to the ground. Keeping calm, she raised her hand, with one remaining shruiken in it, and plunged it into his neck, pushing him off of her. There were now four bandits left, excluding their supposed leader, who were still running at her, but considerably slower, noticing how deadly she was. She reached behind her calves for her two throwing knives, and fluidly threw them into the left eye of two bandits in quick succession. Unbeknownst to Araya, the leader was now also sprinting at her, noticing his fallen comrades. She unclipped two more knives from her belt, also throwing them into the left eyes of the two remaining bandits. With them disposed of, she unclipped her twin sais and held them with her hands, turning towards the leader just as he crashed into her. As usual, Araya dug her sais into the earth beneath them, twisting, leaving the leader to fall on the ground fully. She quickly stood, and jumped on his back, about to slice his neck, when he suddenly bucked up against her, knocking her off and onto the ground before she could dig her sais into them. Her head smacked against the dry earth, hard, and her mind clouded instantly. The leader had recovered by then, and jumped back onto Araya, pinning her hands behind her head. She was desperately trying to blink away the haze that had fogged over her mind, when he spoke, triumphantly.

"Looks like you've been caught. I wonder what I'll do with you now?" He smirked at her, evilly, and punched her just under her chin, forcing her teeth to snap up, painfully coming into contact with her upper set. It was nothing like Mitsunari's smirk, she noticed, as she grimaced through the pain. His was playful and slightly taunting, while the bandit leader's was just pure evil; brimming with horrible intentions. As he began to take off his black trousers, the fog on Araya's mind seemed to clear momentarily, and she furiously moved her hands to the right. Not expecting her sudden burst of strength, the bandit's grip had loosened, and she moved her hands again, quickly, and released them. With the bandit now off-balance, she kneed him in the chin, and stood, then pushed him onto the ground, forcefully. His mind then fogged over, with the sharp contact with the ground. He couldn't even struggle against the anger and adrenalin coursing through Araya's body. She raised her right hand, positioning her sai above his throat.

"Complacency leads to certain death, bitch." And plunged the blade down, ending his life. She then rolled off him, but the adrenalin hadn't left her body yet. She still scanned her surroundings thoroughly for any more bandits as she collected all of her shruikens and throwing knives, pocketing and re-clipping them. She then quickly ran out of the clearing, blindly, just wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. A few seconds later, she bumped into something warm and solid, and was knocked to the ground again. Her fighting senses kicking in once more, she dug her bloody sais into the ground, and stood up with precision and speed, yanking them out. As she turned to face her attacker, she was met with golden eyes staring at her worriedly. She relaxed immediately, and re-clipped her sais to her belt. _Mitsunari._ All adrenalin and anger suddenly drained from her, and she found herself stumbling into his arms.

"Araya? Are you alright? What the hell happened to you?" He asked, supporting her.

Araya's mind grew hazy rapidly, and was only able to say a few words. "Attacked...bandits...twelve...dead." She couldn't say anything else, as she fell unconscious, the combination of no rest, fighting for her life and getting hurt coming back at her at full force. Mitsunari caught her before she fell, and picked her up, bridal-style. He then began to run back to the camp, fearful that more bandits would strike while Araya was unconscious.

* * *

As he returned, he noticed that someone had lit eight fires, spreading them around the camp. Everyone was talking or laughing leisurely, but grew silent as they noticed the near panicked look on his face, and the unconscious, limp girl in his arms.

"You!" He nodded at a random horseman, who stood up immediately. "Move the bags from over there so I can lay her down." The horseman scrambled over to the lone fire and moved everyone's bags away from it, and Mitsunari laid Araya down next to it. He nodded at the waiting horseman. "Thank you. You may go now." The horseman walked quickly back to his group, and after about a minute, they all started to talk and joke once more.

Mitsunari looked down at Araya's face in thought. _Who hit her to form that bruise?_ Where the bandit had struck her, was a red mark in the shape of a fist. _Must've been one of the bandits that she was talking about._ He cursed himself inwardly. _Why didn't I run after her as soon as she left? She probably wouldn't be in this situation right now._ Mitsunari knelt down by Araya, and started to unclip her weapons from her belt and take them out of her open pockets. With a final backwards glance at her, he left into the forest to find some good, thick leaves to wipe the blood off of her weapons with.

A few minutes later, he didn't find any, but found a small pond, which was even better. He washed the blood off of her weapons, and headed back to their camp. Once he got there, he set them by the fire to let them dry and settled against a tree next to Araya. After about ten minutes, she started to shift and moan in her sleep. Not knowing what to do, Mitsunari just pulled her head onto his lap and began to stroke her silky, downy hair, hoping that it would calm her.

She stopped moving immediately.

So he continued, absentmindedly stroking her hair whilst looking into the fire, and thinking about things.

For the first time ever, he wondered what falling in love was like. 

* * *

Three hours later, Araya began to wake up slowly. The first thing she felt was that something was running through her hair, and that it made her feel calmer. As she opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of a glowing fire right in front of her. She moaned, and turned away from it, not used to the bright light yet. The thing in her hair stilled.

"Araya? Are you awake?" _Mitsunari. He must have carried me here._

"Nope, I'm asleep." She croaked out sarcastically. He chuckled, and the vibrations were sent into her from whatever she was resting on. It felt nice. The thing in her hair, which she suspected to be Mitsunari's hand, withdrew completely, and Araya sat up slowly. She was met with the same golden eyes that she saw before she fell unconscious, but now they shone in relief instead of worry.

"Are you alright?"

"I just need some water, and there's a few bottles in the dark blue knapsack that I brought. I'll go get them." She said, then coughed.

Mitsunari stood, pushing her back down. "I got it, Araya. Don't worry."

She nodded, and laid back down on the soft moss, waiting for his return. He came back a minute later, holding two water bottles. He held one in his hand and gave the other to Araya, who thanked him, and took a much needed gulp. She felt better immediately. As she finished drinking, she noticed that Mitsunari was staring at her with curiosity.

She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Care to explain what the hell happened before I found you?" He asked, but not in a demanding tone.

She sighed. "Fine. I was just getting some firewood because I was cold, and then out of nowhere someone circles their arms around my waist. I thought it was you, at first, but the person's hold was too tight for comfort and constricting. I kicked him sharply, then he left me alone, but then about twelve bandits made a ring around me, and I finally noticed that I was in a small clearing. A leader spoke, and they all charged at me, but I took them out. The leader then knocked me over before I could soften the impact, and I couldn't do anything for a while. He punched me under my chin while I was like that and he, uhm, he took off his trousers." She hesitated at the end. "My mind suddenly cleared and I shoved him off me and killed him, collected all of my shruikens and throwing knives and ran out of there, and then I bumped into you."

Mitsunari was sitting there in complete and utter shock, and if you looked hard enough you could tell that he was seething on the inside that the bandit leader was probably going to rape Araya. "Well, that's quite a story. I'm glad I found you when I did." A warm feeling filled Araya. "By the way, your weapons are over there." He pointed to the other side of the fire that they were next to. As Araya got up to get them, soft pink light from above shone on her face, and Mitsunari finally paid attention to what time it was. It was about six o'clock in the morning, and Mitsunari wanted to start the battle within the next hour.

Once she came back, weapons re-clipped and pocketed, Mitsunari let her know on his plans to start soon and she agreed. While they were waiting, Araya brought out the two breakfast containers for her and Mitsunari, while the horsemen ate their own. She then crossed over to him, giving him one portion and a pair of cherrywood chopsticks. He thanked her, she sat down with a matching pair of chopsticks, and they began to eat. Araya analysed his movements precisely. _Time to see the results of my little experiment._

As Mitsunari first bit into the beef, he had to admit that it was all to his tastes. The deep, aromatic seasoning made the beef juicy and tender enough to eat easily. The noodles were cooked to perfection, he noted, and were nicely crisped without it being too brittle or too soft. _The perfect balance. I have to thank the cook when we get back. On second thought, no. I'll let Araya do it, since she knows who cooked it anyway._ While these thoughts were going on in his mind, he had unknowingly closed his eyes, savouring the flavour. Araya had laughed quietly at his reaction, calling the first part of her experiment a success. He had heard her laugh, however, and opened his eyes and turned to her.

"What is it?"

Her laughs died down slowly, and she replied to him. "Oh, it's nothing. Just your reaction to the food." She hadn't tasted it yet, and had set her food and chopsticks aside. Mitsunari did the same.

"Is that so?" He smirked at her. "I suppose that I'll have to get back at you for that. I don't appreciate being laughed at so rudely." His smirk grew wider, and quick as a flash, he pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. Her eyes widened, but she continued to laugh. "Looks like I'll have to step it up slightly." With that, he started to tickle her, all over. Araya started to laugh hysterically, thrashing around, trying to bat his hands off.

"Alright! Alright! Stop!" She laughed. He ignored her, and continued to tickle her, with a huge smirk on his face. Eventually, he stopped, and they both collapsed on the ground next to each other, both laughing.

For the first time ever, she wondered what falling in love was like. 

* * *

After a few minutes to calm down, they both sat back up and ate again, and Araya had to admit that her cooking was actually quite good. After another threat of tickling and many witty remarks, they had both finished and rested for a while before standing up, and walking over to the centre tree. Mitsunari cleared his throat loudly, and spoke. All conversations ceased, like before.

"Men, it is time for us to leave for battle. Let us bring victory for the Toyotomi name!" The horsemen cheered again like before, and began filing out of the clearing to their horses, stamping out their fires and collecting their bags. Araya and Mitsunari filled them, and took the rear. Araya reattached her saddlebag and knapsack to Shadow, and mounted him. She trotted over to the front of the crowd, where Mitsunari was, and they both began riding down their little cliff at a swift pace, the horsemen equally as fast from behind. Once they made it down, and into the rocky plains, they were forced to slow down slightly because of all the rocks. About ten minutes later, they caught sight of the enemy camp again and charged for it. Once she got there, Araya tied her horse to a random post, having fought better on foot. She made a mental note of where it was, and ran into the enemy camp, along with Mitsunari and the rest.

The rebels weren't completely dense, however, and had heard them coming, and had scattered, leaving the enemy camp completely empty. Araya sighed in annoyance. Mitsunari gave orders to the horsemen.

"Spread out. Seven of you go south, eight north, eight west and seven east. Myself and Araya will go south and east, to make it even. Find the rebels at all costs! Don't let them escape!" The horsemen cheered, separated into groups of seven and eight and rode off, looking for the rebels. Araya then spoke.

"I'll go to the east, and you can go to the south." She jogged over to Shadow, and untied and mounted him. Mitsunari was still on his horse, so she trotted over to him. "Who knows, maybe I'll be able to repay some more favours if you slip up." She smirked, and bolted off on Shadow to the east. Mitsunari chuckled, and also dashed off to the south, where they had just come from.

* * *

After about an hour, Araya had found eight rebels, and had ended them all in a flash, recollecting her weapons and bolting off again, looking for the next. She somehow strayed to the south-east at one point, and had found another two rebels, who appeared to be fighting someone. She jumped off her horse, and had climbed up a large rock nearby, waiting for the perfect time to strike without hurting the comrade who was outnumbered. She then noticed that the ally wore white, black and red robes, and was using a tessen to block strikes. Her eyes widened. _Mitsunari._ Quick as lightning, she double-jumped off the rock, landing on one rebel. She then pulled out her sais, slitting his throat. In Mitsunari's and the remaining rebel's surprise, she managed to pull out one of her throwing knives from behind her calf, but the rebel soon snapped out it and sprinted away, knowing he was outmatched. Araya didn't let him escape far, however, as she just flicked her wrist and the knife buried to the hilt in the back of the rebel's head, where his left eye would be. She quickly ran over to the rebel, withdrawing her knife and headed back to Mitsunari, who was now scowling at her.

"I could have dealt with them, you know."

Araya smirked. "You looked like you were struggling a bit, so I decided to help. Oh, and by the way, you only have two favours left." She snickered at his scowl, and darted off towards Shadow, mounted him and left, looking now for the leader, Terumoto Arima.

* * *

Like an idiot, the leader had moved back into the main camp, thinking that nobody would check there twice. Hideyoshi was right, however, as when she did find the leader, she instantly knew it was him. He was very tall and lanky, but had blood red robes on, and wielded what looked like a naginata made from dark steel. He was crouched behind a small box, but Araya saw him from miles away. She dismounted her horse just outside the camp and silently crept towards him. As she neared him, she unclipped her sais, butting one against his temple when she was right behind him. He instantly fell over, nearing unconsciousness rapidly. She jumped on him, and placed a sai at his neck, daring him to move while she spoke.

"You are indeed foolish for daring to oppose Lord Hideyoshi. You and your little rebels will be eradicated, sending a message to others. Goodbye, Arima." She didn't say his first name, not wanting to get personal, and plunged the sai into his neck. She then heard mocking clapping from behind her, as she rolled off him and wiped the blood on his robes. As she stood, she saw that the remaining few rebels had all been hiding in the main camp too, and had formed a ring around her in the centre. _What is it with people and forming rings around me lately?_ She turned to look at the source of the clapping, and it was one of the rebels. This one was dressed in a rich plum coloured armour, with a black headpiece, and wielded the same dark steel naginata that Terumoto Arima did. He spoke.

"A touching speech, but it looks like you underestimated us. I am the real Terumoto Arima, you fool, and now, you're going to die. Men, attack!" There was five other rebels in total, and they all charged at her, wielding swords and katanas. The real Terumoto stayed where he was, just like the bandit leader had done before. He was shocked beyond belief when he saw all of his five men fall at once.

Mitsunari had heard the loud clapping from the real Terumoto, and snuck into the main camp to investigate. He heard what he had said about Araya dying, and his blood boiled for some reason. He then withdrew his tessen to its full width, just as the five men were charging for Araya. He ran also, slicing the back of the necks of two rebels just as Araya had thrown three shruikens in quick succession at the three closest to her, which were the remaining three. As she turned around to deal with the other two, she was shocked to see that they were on the ground, dead. She looked up from their bodies and saw Mitsunari, staring tauntingly at Terumoto.

"Looks like _you_ underestimated us, fool. And now, you're going to die." At that sentence, he charged for the other man, knocking him to the floor, and slicing his neck with his tessen before he could escape. As Mitsunari got off his body, Araya tossed another shruiken at his forehead, for good measure. As she was retrieving and wiping the blood off her shruikens, she spoke.

"I could have dealt with them, you know." She scowled, similarly to how Mitsunari had done before. He smirked at her.

"Believe me, I know. Remember your little bandits?"

She shivered, the memory of how the leader was about to rape her still fresh on her mind. "Of course I do." She shook her head as if to clear it, and changed the topic. "Let's just find all of the horsemen and go home. I'll take the north and the east, and you can take the south and the west if you want." He nodded, mounting his horse as Araya mounted hers.

"Meet back here in an hour, and then we'll leave." She nodded, and then took off in search for the horsemen; Mitsunari doing the same but going in the opposite direction.

* * *

The real reason that Mitsunari had saved her was because he felt the need to, after failing to find her last time and almost getting her raped. He couldn't stand seeing her so outnumbered, even if she could handle it herself.

The real reason that Araya always seethed when Mitsunari was about to get hurt was because she couldn't stand to see him potentially hurt over a little mistake. She saw it happen on the first day with his nightmares.

As they both realised this, as they were riding away, they finally realised that they were in love with the other, even though it had only been a short time since they had seen each other whe Araya came to the Toyotomi after Komaki-Nagakute.


	6. Chapter 5

Coincidentally, the horsemen were nearby to the main camp, all of them having the idea to regroup there and Araya and Mitsunari found them making their way back. After half an hour, they had all found each other, with no casualties; only a few scratches and one gash along someone's arm, but they bandaged it up themselves. Mitsunari and Araya trotted in front of the pack once more, and he spoke.

"Men, I congratulate you today. We have successfully diminished the foolish rebels, and preserved the Toyotomi name. Let us go back to our camp, rest, and make it back home before nightfall. Come!" He dashed off on his horse towns the small cliff and their camp, Araya and the other horsemen in tow.

After about another twenty minutes, since riding up a cliff took longer than riding down, they had all tied their horses to trees around their little camp again. It was still slightly chilly outside, so Araya volunteered to get more firewood since the piles from before had burnt out. Mitsunari had protested at this, and volunteered to do it himself, which was very out of character for him. It was his protection over Araya, especially after the last time that had made him want to do it instead. Araya, being tired after everything that had happened that day, didn't argue and just let him do it.

* * *

About thirty minutes later, Mitsunari came back with eight large bundles of firewood, bound together and joined by lengths of rope. He borrowed one of Araya's throwing knives to sever the bundles separately, and gave one bundle to each of the seven other groups. They each thanked him and lit their own fires, enjoying their lunch and talking with each other. As Mitsunari came back to his and Araya's fire, he noticed that she had already lit it and had brought over the navy knapsack again. She opened it, and gave him a container of what looked to be potatoes with beef chunks with it, the same cherrywood chopsticks and another bottle of water. As he opened the container, he smiled softly. _Nikujaga._ It was his favourite dish, coincidentally, as he liked the contrasting flavours between the sweet potatoes and the seasoned beef. He picked up his chopsticks, and placed half a potato in his mouth, along with a piece of beef. The salty seasoning of the beef went well with the soft, sweet potatoes, and the beef was extremely tender; almost falling apart.

"You have to thank the cook when we get back. The food has been much better than usual, you know." He said to Araya, who was snickering. At his confused glance at her, she went into full blown laughter, again setting her food and chopsticks on the ground.

Her laughter died down, and turned into snickers as she spoke. "Nice to know that you enjoy my cooking so much, Mitsunari."

He was shocked. "You..you made all the food?"

She grinned at him. "Yeah. I think that I should become head cook for Osaka." She snickered, but Mitsunari was genuinely contemplating it.

"Actually, you could."

She was surprised. "Really? You think it's that good? I don't know.."

"Yes, I actually think so. I think that everyone else would, too, if they tasted some."

The same warm feeling filled Araya at his compliments, and she genuinely smiled at him. "Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'll ask Nene about it when we get back, provided that she isn't squealing in my ear, wondering if anything romantic happened." She snorted. "As if anything romantic ever happens on a battlefield!"

Mitsunari chuckled. "Raiden said similar words when I was telling them about where we were leaving as well."

"I'm not surprised, if I'm honest. He's always been witty."

"Like you?" He smirked at her.

She smirked back, and picked up her food again. "Like me." He chuckled, and also began to eat again. He honestly thought that Araya could cook for the castle. Not that the normal cooking was bad, it just wasn't extremely good. It was edible, but it didn't have rich seasoning like Araya's did.

* * *

Half an hour later, they had both finished their food, and Mitsunari rested for a while. During this, Araya stood up, and climbed the centre tree, perching down in a little cradle of branches. She didn't feel the need to sleep just yet, so as everyone else was tired and began to sleep, she was high up in the tree, watching over everyone and making sure that the surrounding area was safe. As she looked at the tree-line, she noticed the same copse of dead trees where she was ambushed. She shivered at the memory, and turned away from it.

* * *

Another hour later, at past midday, Mitsunari stirred, and woke up. The first thing he noticed was that Araya wasn't near him. As he looked around him on the ground, he began to grow alarmed. He stood, and the sunlight hit his eyes. Squinting, he looked up at the sky, to see the position of the sun, and therefore what time it was, but he saw a small movement from high up in the centre tree. He looked at it, and he relaxed. _Araya. How the hell did she get up there?_ She waved at him, smirking, from her perch, and began to descend quickly and quietly. He chuckled. _She can do literally anything._ He walked over to the centre tree, and spoke as Araya jumped the last few feet down, landing in a crouch.

"You scurried up and down there like a squirrel. Is there anything that you can't do?" He smirked at her.

She smirked back. "No, not really. I suppose that I'm good at everything, I guess."

"So humble and meek. You should really be a nun."

She laughed. "You're welcome, by the way. I've been up there for about an hour, scoping out the surroundings."

"Making sure that we weren't attacked, like a little mother hen. How thoughtful of you." His smirk grew wider as she laughed, the sound making most of the nearby men wake up. Mitsunari took this as a sign to wake them all up, and get going. He clapped his hands loudly, and all at once, they woke up, looking at him.

"It is time for us to leave for home, men. You have done well here today, and will be rewarded once we get back. Come!" Everyone mounted their horses, and tied their saddlebags back on to them, and Mitsunari and Araya set off in front of the pack, the horsemen following.

"It's nearing one o'clock now, and it should take us another four hours to get home. Do you still want dinner when we get back?" Araya asked.

He thought for a second, then shook his head. "Probably not. I'm going to sleep when we get back; perhaps they'll be nice enough to save us both a bowl."

She chuckled. "Of course they won't. They seem to like to see us suffer, I guess."

"That's true, to be honest. I'll just wait till breakfast instead, then." Araya nodded and agreed with his decision, also going to do the same thing.

They then rode ahead in silence, but a comfortable one, where neither needed to speak. They found comfort in each other's presence.

* * *

Four hours later, Araya, Mitsunari and the horsemen were entering through the Western Gate of Osaka Castle, being greeted by the stable owners who took their horses for them once they had all dismounted and unloaded their saddlebags and knapsacks.

"Men, you are dismissed. You have done great work today, and deserve to rest." Mitsunari announced, and the horsemen dispersed inside the castle. Araya and Mitsunari followed, and headed up the main stairway, and down to their room to just drop off their saddlebags and the knapsack, before heading to Hideyoshi's quarters to report the success of their mission. As they made their way down there, they saw Nene walking down the same corridor. Araya smiled, and waved at her.

"Nene!" She called.

"Araya! Mitsunari! You're back!" She ran over to them, and lightly embraced them both. They chuckled. They had missed Nene's enthusiasm while they were away, whether they realised it or not.

"Yes. Where are Raiden and Kiyomasa? I would've expected them to run up and start asking if we kissed among other things, while we were gone." Mitsunari rolled his eyes in amusement, and Nene and Araya laughed.

"They're down in the common room, I think. Probably just drinking sake. Anyway, if you two were heading to Hideyoshi, he's sleeping right now, and probably won't wake until early tomorrow morning."

Araya sighed. "Thanks for telling us that, Nene. I'm exhausted after everything that happened."

She nodded in understanding. "Alright, I'll leave you two to rest now. We'll see you at dinner instead? It's in an hour."

Mitsunari shook his head. "Probably not, if I'm honest. More likely that we'll see you when you wake us up again in the morning."

Nene smirked. "Don't worry, we won't pour lake water all over you or anything. See you guys tomorrow!" She walked down the corridor, and down the stairs. Araya and Mitsunari chuckled, then headed back to their room, since Hideyoshi was asleep. Mitsunari found a blood red silk robe, and headed to the bathroom to change, while Araya got out a plum purple kimono and also began to change. She placed her weapons in her saddlebag, and put her suit and other pieces back on her armour stand. As she was emptying the knapsack to take the containers and chopsticks back down to the kitchen, Mitsunari emerged in his robes, and put his other robes and armour on his own armour stand.

"I'm going down to the kitchen to take the stuff back. Need anything?" She asked.

Mitsunari shook his head, and asked her to say hello to Raiden and Kiyomasa for him while she was down there. With that, she left, heading for the kitchen.

While she was there, she asked the kitchen attendant that was there what dinner would be, and she said that people had a choice between udon noodles and soba noodles. Araya thanked her, gave her the containers and the chopsticks and left. She was too tired to go to the common room and find Raiden and Kiyomasa, so she decided that she would just see them in the morning and headed back up to their room. Mitsunari was in the bed, seemingly asleep, and Araya crossed the room, entering the bed. In response, Mitsunari wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him. She then snuggled her head into his chest, wanting more of his warmth. Again, she noticed how different the bandit's arms were to Mitsunari's. Mitsunari's made her feel warm, and protected. The complete opposite.

They both fell asleep fully within seconds.

* * *

Mitsunari woke up, at ten o'clock. Immediately, his stomach grumbled, as he hadn't eaten since lunch, at eleven o'clock earlier in the day. Araya then also suddenly awoke, the vibrations from Mitsunari shooting through her. She stared at him through bleary eyes, and he looked down at her in surprise, not expecting her to wake.

"I thought that we wouldn't wake up until tomorrow morning, but I'm famished, now. What can we eat?" He asked her.

A thoughtful look crossed Araya's face, but was soon replaced with a smirk as she fully woke up. "Well, I could always make something in the kitchen; it's only like what, ten o'clock? People will still be downstairs."

His eyes brightened at the thought of eating her food again, especially because he was so hungry. "That's a good idea, but what would you make?"

"Udon or soba noodles. It was supposed to be dinner today, but since we missed it, I could just make it again. However," Her smirk grew wider. "It'll cost you one favour for some food."

He scowled at her. He then sighed, then replied. "Fine. Let's go downstairs, and see who's still there." He let go of her waist, and she sat up, moving her head off his chest. They then climbed out of bed, slipped on some sandals and shoes, and headed down to the common room first. As they walked in, they saw that there was only three people inside, and that was Nene, Kiyomasa and Raiden, coincidentally. The three saw them enter, and Raiden and Kiyomasa sprung off their chairs, and launched themselves at them. They both stumbled back, but managed to push them both upright again. Raiden spoke first.

"Mother! Father! You're back!" He, Kiyomasa and Nene then snickered as she walked up, remembering Raiden's little quip the night before. Mitsunari rolled his eyes, but smiled, while Araya looked on in confusion.

"'Mother'? 'Father'? What? Am I missing something?" She asked.

The three then laughed, and Kiyomasa explained the story from their conversation, and Araya couldn't help but laugh at the description of it. Nene then asked them both something.

"What are you guys doing down here? I thought you were going to sleep until the morning."

Araya explained. "Well, we both woke up, and we hadn't eaten since lunch so we were hungry. We came down here to see if anyone was still around, but we were about to head into the kitchen. You guys can come if you want." Mitsunari nodded in agreement, and Nene, Kiyomasa and Raiden also agreed, the five of them walking to the kitchen. Once they were there, Araya asked Mitsunari something.

"Do you want udon or soba noodles?" He didn't mind either of them.

He smirked at her. "Surprise me."

She rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Alright then." She turned to the other three. "Want anything, guys?"

"I'll have soba, thanks."

"Can I have udon, sis?"

"Soba please!"

They immediately said. Araya chuckled. "Fine, but you have to sit down first. I'm not letting you run around like monkeys the whole time." She said the last part to Kiyomasa and Raiden, who were running around the portable countertop, chasing each other.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, all five dishes of noodles were plated up and gave to each respective person. Araya had ended up giving Mitsunari udon noodles, and she and Raiden had some also.

"So, Araya, on a scale from one to ten, how do you usually rate your cooking? I need to know if it's potentially poisonous." Kiyomasa smirked.

She smirked back. "Well, try some. If it's poisonous, you'll notice, don't worry." They all laughed at that, and Araya and Mitsunari had the same cherrywood chopsticks they had used earlier in the day, while everyone else had just plain birch wood. They all dug in to their meals, and Araya watched each person's reaction to the food carefully. Mitsunari's was the same as before, and he momentarily closed his eyes in relief from quenching his hunger. Nene and Kiyomasa looked shocked at the food, surprised that Araya had made something so delicious. Not that they doubted her, or anything. Raiden sat there with a smile on his face, knowing full well that his sister was an amazing cook, as she had done so for him a few times while she was with the Toyotomi previously.

"Araya! This is so good! How did you make it so different from the one at dinner?" Nene praised, and Kiyomasa agreed whole-heartedly. Araya smiled at their praises.

"Thanks guys. I didn't really do anything, just added the right seasonings and cooked it well, I guess." She said.

Everyone was too enamoured with their food to give a proper reply, and just nodded while eating.

* * *

Half an hour later, everyone had finished, thanking her for the food. Suddenly feeling drowsy again, Araya wished everyone goodnight and went back upstairs to their room, while Mitsunari stayed downstairs with Nene, Kiyomasa and Raiden, falling about random topics. As soon as Araya got into the bed, she felt colder than she usually would, and realised that it was due to Mitsunari's body heat being missing. She sighed, and turned over on her side to sleep. Eventually she did, but after about twenty minutes, she was plagued by nightmares about the bandit leader. What would've happened if she had been too disoriented to fight back, and had been raped and killed after. As she was going through one of these nightmares, she was unconsciously thrashing around in her sleep, which was what she was trying to do in her dream, but her body wouldn't allow her to in her dreamlike state. She screamed internally for Mitsunari to help her during these dreams, but since nightmares never went the way you want them to, her lips were clamped shut, but she still whimpered the words out loud, into the darkness of the room.

After saying goodnight to the others, Mitsunari also headed upstairs, and when he got into their room, he was met with the heartbreaking sight of Araya with faint tears running down her face, whimpering the same words over and over again. As he rushed over to her to calm her down, he made comprehension of the words. "Mitsunari...please help!...Help me!...Mitsunari..." He gently held her wrists to keep them from lashing out, and after a minute or so, she stopped thrashing, and woke up with a gasp of air.

She was met with the sight of Mitsunari's golden orbs staring at her worriedly. "Araya, are you alright?" He asked her.

In her frenzied state, all she could do was to bury herself in his chest, letting out silent tears as she tried to speak. He shushed her, and climbed into bed, circling his arms round her waist while she was still sniffling against his robe. After a minute or so, she pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"Sorry. That was so pathetic of me," She chuckled slightly. "Just a nightmare, that's all."

His eyebrows furrowed at her use of language against herself. "Well, it was clearly a bit more than the average nightmare. Care to share what it was about?" She laughed internally at his bluntness. It was one of the things that she liked about him.

She didn't say anything out loud for a few seconds, however, and Mitsunari was about to sigh, thinking he had crossed her personal boundaries again. Before he could, Araya spoke again.

"It's fine. Basically, it was about the bandit leader. Instead of fighting back, I was immobile and I couldn't do anything to stop him while he, ah, he raped me, like he would've done." She whispered the last part, as Mitsunari tensed with veiled anger. She continued. "I was calling out, for someone to help me, but I couldn't speak either. After he finished, he said something to me, which I can't remember, and then he-he killed me, with my own sai blades." As she finished her description, she felt close to tears again, and reburied her head in Mitsunari's chest, who was now nearly seething. _If she hadn't killed him back then, I would've gone back while we were there and finished him off myself._ As sadistic as it sounded, he would've done it slowly and painfully.

Instead of voicing this, however, he just reached up, with his arms still around her waist, and made the same gentle strokes through her hair as he had done while she was unconscious back in the camp. With his soothing hands and his gentle heartbeat, Araya was soon lulled to sleep once more, but this time she slept peacefully, as Mitsunari was always there, holding her. Like Araya had done on their first morning, his hand absentmindedly kept stoking through her hair, even though the movements had turned slightly irregular, and soon after, he slept soundly.

* * *

This time, they both slept until the morning, not stirring once, completely wrapped around each other. Seven o'clock rolled around, and Nene, Kiyomasa and Raiden again came to wake them up. As they opened the door, they saw the two immersed with one another. Araya's head was still in Mitsunari's chest, and his arms were firmly around her waist. The hand in her hair had been removed, and now rested on the light dip of her waist. As the three crept closer, they noticed the almost-gone tear tracks on Araya's face, frowned, but then grinned again as they noticed the position that the two were in.

"He must have comforted her during the night about something." Nene said softly.

"Now look at them. Wrapped around each other like kittens." Kiyomasa added.

Raiden chuckled. If there was anyone that he would rather have his sister fall in love with, it was probably Mitsunari. He would say Kiyomasa, but since he found out that he likes someone else, he took him off the list of suitors. "Yeah, they do. Should we wake them? Breakfast is being served right now."

"I think so, but only one of us should stay to wake them, to make it look like we all weren't staring at them, like stalkers." Kiyomasa replied.

"I'll do it, if you guys want. I've already showered, but you guys haven't, so I'll meet you down in the dining hall in a bit." The boys nodded, and left the room for their own. Nene turned back to the sleeping pair, and decided on waking Mitsunari up first. She lightly shook his shoulder. "Mitsunari...Mitsunari! You need to wake up, breakfast is downstairs." His eyes opened a crack, seeing who it was, then when seeing Nene, he fully awoke.

"Nene; thank you for waking me up. Where are Kiyomasa and Raiden? They haven't stolen another thing, have they?" He asked, shifting to face her.

She quietly giggled. "No, I just sent them away to get showered and dressed since I already have. You need to do so as well." Nene's motherly care showed as she spoke, and Mitsunari chuckled, being used to it, but glad that it was there.

"Alright. I'll wake Araya after I've showered." With that, he removed his arms from her waist, sat up and gently placed her head on the pillow, moving it from his chest. As he stood, Araya awoke, suddenly. She shot out her hand, wrapping it around his wrist and tugging on it, sending him back onto the bed. She didn't notice Nene, who was watching the scene with awe. Mitsunari looked at Araya as she spoke.

"Where are you going? Stay here." She asked.

"Just to shower, since it's breakfast now. You should probably wake up, too." He replied with no surprise or confusion in his voice, as he had been through a similar conversation with Araya before. She nodded, and let go of his wrist, and sat up. In doing so, she finally noticed Nene.

"Oh! Nene! I didn't know you were in here," Araya said, blushing slightly.

Nene's eyebrows rose slightly. _She must be really in love with him if she didn't even see me the whole time._ She wasn't angry about it, though. "Morning, Araya. I just came to wake you two up, that's all. You can shower in my room, if you want to, to make things quicker."

Araya nodded, stood up and found a pure black kimono with silver stitches and an embroidered crescent moon on the left breast with black, strappy sandals and walked over to Nene, who had moved to the door. She turned to Mitsunari, who was also getting out a robe.

"I'll meet you down in breakfast, Mitsunari." He nodded, said goodbye to her and Nene and went to shower in the bathroom. The two then left, heading for Nene's room.

"Araya?" Nene asked.

"Yeah, Nene?"

"Swear to be honest when you answer this question, alright?" Nene had to know the truth. Araya raised an eyebrow in confusion, but complied anyway. "Good. Now, tell me. Are you in love with Mitsunari?" Araya began to deny and switch the topic, but Nene was having none of it. "The truth, Araya! I won't be mad, whatever you say."

Araya sighed. "You have to promise to _never_ , tell anyone."

"Of course."

She sighed again, deeply. "I-I do. Or at least I think I do." Nene had an ear-splitting grin on her face, and she tackled Araya into a hug for a second.

"I knew it! You two are perfect for each other!" She sang.

"Shh! Someone might hear!"

"Fine, fine." They arrived at Nene's room and stepped inside, closing the door. "You two need to confess to each other, like now."

Araya's eyes widened, and she shook her head vehemently. "I can't do that! What if he doesn't feel the same? I'll have to leave the Toyotomi in embarrassment!"

Nene was baffled. "What is wrong with both of you?"

Araya was confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's so obvious that you both love each other! That's why Raiden, Kiyomasa and I have been trying to push you two together!" She bursted out. "That's why we keep mentioning about you two being in love, it's why we left you two alone after breakfast two days ago and it's why we took the futon to make you two comfortable around each other! You're both blind, honestly!"

Araya was as baffled as Nene was before. "W-What? Of course he doesn't!"

Nene sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Never mind. I'll talk to you about it later. Now, go take a shower and change." Nene smiled at Araya, who was still standing in shock, pushed her into the bathroom and closed the door. After a few seconds, Araya shook her head and began to undress to shower.

* * *

At seven thirty, Nene and Araya were emerging from her room, and walking down to the dining hall. As they got there, they noticed that the large table was filled with people, and same with the four smaller tables on the corners. Nene sighed.

"Looks like we took too long, and there's no space. We can come back in about fifteen minutes to check again for space, if you want."

Araya nodded. "Sure. But where are the boys?" She scanned each table, and couldn't find them. Nene tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe they're out in the courtyard, or in their rooms. One of the two. Where should we check first?"

"The courtyard. Raiden would probably go straight there if he saw that there was no room."

"True. Well then, let's go and find them!" They walked back out of the dining hall, and outside into the northern courtyard. As Araya had said, Raiden, Kiyomasa and Mitsunari were all lounging by the lake, talking with each other. A smirk came onto Araya's face as she thought of the perfect way to get back at them all for what happened in the lake.

"Before we go over to them, I have a plan." Nene was immediately interested, and beckoned her to continue. "See that cherry blossom tree a bit away from them? Let's climb it quickly, and take as many handfuls of petals that you can get. Then, we should come back here, swim over to them from underwater, and pull them in to the lake, showering them with petals, but then swim away before they notice who did it. Can you swim well?"

Nene also smirked at Araya's plan. It was practically foolproof. "Yeah, I can, and I don't mind my clothes getting wet. What about you?"

Araya shook her head. "I'll just hand-wash it later to get the lake-water scent out of it. I have dozens of other kimonos."

"Well then, let's follow through with your plan then. Come on!" Nene and Araya sprinted silently towards the cherry blossom tree, shimmied up it and started stuffing any pockets or closed spaces with petals. They then climbed back out of the tree, and ran back to where they came from, without any of the boys noticing. Perks of being a ninja; everything you did was always unseen and unheard when it needed to be.

They then both dived into the lake, and underwater swam over to the boys. Once they were just beneath them, Araya nodded at Nene, and mouthed, "You, Kiyomasa." Nene got the message, and moved beneath Kiyomasa, while Araya positioned herself between Raiden and Mitsunari, as they were lighter than Kiyomasa. She counted down on her fingers. "Three, two, one, now!" Araya and Nene's hands shot out, grasping the boys' ankles, and in their surprise, managed to pull them into the lake, despite the weight differences between them and the girls. As the boys resurfaced, looking around for what had caused them to fall in, the girls swam behind them, got out the petals and dumped them over their heads, being above the surface for a mere split second before diving back in again, swimming like fishes away from the boys, who were now sputtering. Somehow, none of the boys noticed them swim away, as they were blinded by petals, and the soaked girls climbed onto the bank right in front of the entrance to the courtyard, ran inside and upstairs whilst laughing hysterically, into Nene's room and slammed the door shut, high-fiving each other, each of them near tears from laughter.

"That was the best plot ever, Araya! They didn't even see us at all!"

"Yeah, but I can guarantee that they'll be banging down on the door once they've dried up and changed. Speaking of which, we should do that too so that they don't realise it was us. I'll just change back into my nightgown, and say that we hadn't even left the room."

"Alright, that's a good idea. I'll change in the bathroom once I've found a kimono or something to wear." With that, she went to her drawers and picked out a scarlet red kimono with yellow patterns, and went to change in the bathroom, but not before handing Araya a towel to dry her dripping wet hair with. She thanked her, and also began to strip, shoving her soiled kimono under the mattress temporarily, so the boys wouldn't see it, dried herself off and changed back into her plum nightgown. As Nene emerged from the bathroom, she too shoved her soiled clothes under the mattress, and dried her own hair. As she was doing so, there was a series of knocks on the door. Araya and Nene looked at each other, knowing who it would be, and quickly whispered to each other.

"If they've caught onto us, I'll give you a signal of when to run. Sprint away and don't look back!" Araya whispered, while Nene nodded, and opened the door. Araya, who was sitting on the bed, had a full view of what was going on. As they both suspected, Raiden, Kiyomasa and Mitsunari stood there, wearing new robes and clothes with barely towelled hair, giving the two girls dirty looks. It was a struggle for Araya to contain her laughter, as she also walked over to the door.

"Oh, hey guys! I haven't seen you in a bit. We were just going to head down to breakfast, to check if there were any spaces left, once Araya changed." Nene said.

Araya decided to taunt them a bit. "Can I ask, why is your hair wet? All of you?"

Raiden turned to her. "I think you know exactly why, Araya." He smirked. "Mind if we come in for a second?" Nene and Araya looked at each other. If they let them in, then they could potentially find the soiled clothes and know it was them, but if they didn't, they would be acting too suspicious and would be found out anyway.

"Sure, come on in." Araya eventually said. All three boys smirked, and entered the room, slyly checking areas for evidence. Kiyomasa spoke after a few seconds.

"Now, about the story of why we're like this. We were by the lake outside, and _suddenly_ ," He started, looking sharply at the two girls. "We were pulled into the lake by two pairs of small, feminine hands. Then, to top it all off, cherry blossom petals were then dumped on our heads! We didn't get to see who it was though. Do you know _anything_ about it?" He mocked, feigning thoughtfulness on who it could have been. Araya grit her teeth at Kiyomasa's description of their hands.

"That's quite a story, but unfortunately, no. We've been in here since we left Mitsunari's and Araya's room so she could get changed, and got a little sidetracked. I managed to change on time, though." Nene said, close to laughing. Araya shot her a warning look. _Don't blow our cover now, Nene!_ She sobered up immediately, settling for looking down at her hands so she wouldn't laugh.

Mitsunari then strolled over to Araya, who was leaning against the doorframe. He smirked at her. "Are you _sure_ , that you don't know anything about this mysterious attack, Araya?"

"Not at all. Whoever did it to you was probably doing it as a harmless prank. If I find out who it was I'll let you guys know." She said.

Mitsunari then leaned in closer, smirking. Araya froze. He sniffed the scent of her collarbone, then pulled back. "Strange, you smell like lake water, you know." He looked directly at her hair then, and lifted an arm up to it, brushing against it. She heard Nene's breath hitch from where she was on the other side of the doorframe, and she knew that it must be bad. As Mitsunari's hand lowered, she saw that he had one, pristine, cherry blossom petal in his hand. Araya's eyes widened. _It must've gotten caught in between my hair, and neither me or Nene noticed!_

"Funny. This was the same shape and shade as the ones that were dumped on us. Sure you don't know anything, Araya?" His smirk grew wider, and he slowly advanced towards her. She made frantic eye contact with Nene. _He knows!_

Out of the blue, Araya yelled out. "Now!" Nene understood this as the signal to sprint away, and both her and Araya slipped out of the doorway, streaking down the corridor, the boys in tow. They ran down the stairs, and back out into the courtyard. Sharing a silent message with their eyes, they split up, each running in a different direction to confuse the boys. However, Mitsunari still chased right after Araya, and Raiden and Kiyomasa ran after Nene.

Araya was sprinting along the bank, and then she looked behind to see if any of the boys were there. When she saw Mitsunari running and smirking at her, she picked up the pace, and dashed away down the bank, not before sending him a saccharine smile, though. As she turned back around, she noticed that she was at the point where the lake bisects the bank, causing a dead end unless you swim to the other side, where the bank continued. Turning back around, Mitsunari had now caught up to her.

"Araya, playing pranks isn't very nice, you know. We didn't find it very funny." His smirk grew wider, noticing the dead end and began to advance on her again.

Her eyes widened, knowing that there was no way out of her situation. _Can't get any worse. Why not taunt him a bit?_ She then smirked back, and replied, "Nene and I found it hilarious, actually."

Unexpectedly to Araya, Mitsunari then ran full speed at her, tackling her to the ground. He swiftly pinned her hands above her head, and spoke in a low, taunting voice. "Well then, surely you'll find this just as hilarious as you did before." He then attacked her with his hands, tickling every inch of her. She began to squirm around, trying to get away from him, all while laughing hysterically. Batting his hands away did nothing, and he continued with his onslaught. After a few minutes, many tears of laughter and many wide smirks, Mitsunari then stopped, and scooped Araya up in his arms, walking over to the lake. Her eyes widened. _He's going to drop me in there again!_

"Mitsunari! Don't you dare drop me in there again! I'll get you back twice as worse than we just did, if you do."

He turned to look at her. "Are you sure about that?" He mused.

"Yes, now put me down please, on the bank this time."

He walked away from the edge of the lake, smirking. Araya sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"Mhm." He said in somewhat agreement, walking back to the castle, her still in his arms.

Araya was confused. "What are you doing? Put me down!"

His smirk grew wider. "All in due time, Araya." They reached the entrance of the castle, and met Kiyomasa and Raiden carrying Nene by one of her arms each, while she was huffing and protesting. She saw Araya's face, and mouthed something to her.

"We're doomed."

"Let's just hope we don't have to change again." She mouthed back, and Nene nodded.

Mitsunari then walked over properly to the other three and began talking. "Well, it looks like we've caught our attackers. What should we do with them?" He smirked, and Raiden and Kiyomasa did also.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps we could repay the treatment that they gave us?" Kiyomasa said.

"Hmm, not good enough. We need to think of something better." Raiden said. With that, all three boys placed their respective ninjas on the ground, but Mitsunari wrapped his arms around Araya's waist, pulling her back flush against him. He then leant down and whispered in her ear in a low tone.

"I suggest that you don't try and run away once I let go of you, Araya, or there might be bigger punishments involved. Stay right here, with Nene, until we come back, alright?" As he let go of her, she turned around and scowled at his smirk, but stayed where she was with Nene as the boys moved to a separate space not too far from the girls.

"What are we going to do? They're probably going to think of something horrible like stealing all of our clothes or constantly ambushing us with water and petals." Nene sighed in defeat.

Araya also sighed, and plopped onto the ground. "I have no idea what they'll do either. Let's just wait until they get back, take our 'punishments' and go to breakfast." Nene agreed, and sat down next to Araya, lying down on the ground and closing her eyes. 

Eventually, the boys walked back over, wearing matching smirks. Raiden and Kiyomasa walked back over to Nene, and lifted her by her arms again. Araya watched as Mitsunari also walked over to her, lifting her up by her legs and supporting her back with his left arm. She sighed in annoyance. "So? What's our punishment?" She asked. He smirked at her.

"What's the rush? We decided to be nice and wait until later, to give you your own, _separate_ , punishments."

"Then why are you still holding us?" She asked.

"To make sure that you two weren't stupid enough to try and escape again before we told you this." He walked through the entrance of the castle, up the stairs and down the hallway to their room. He then mockingly let her down like a gentleman, and she thanked him sarcastically, walking into the room and over to her dresser to get a new kimono. She picked out a plain, dark grey kimono and kept the same black sandals that she had on from before, and walked into the bathroom to change.

* * *

A few minutes later, she had changed and dusted the dirt off her hair from the ground, and emerged from the bathroom. She saw Mitsunari standing by the door, leant against the wall casually whilst staring out of the window opposite. Once she dropped her purple nightgown by her dresser with her other dirty clothes, he turned his attention to her as she faced him.

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded. "Let's go." He opened the door, and they both walked down the hallway, down the stairs and into the dining hall. Araya's jaw dropped. "It's still full? How?"

"I have no idea. Breakfast is on for another hour or so; we can come back later." Mitsunari said, turning away from the lively hall. Araya nodded, agreeing, and the two set off back to their room. Araya collected all her dirty garments, but realised that she didn't have a washing stone or a washboard. She went to the door, about to head off for Nene's room when she spoke.

"I'll be back in half a hour or so; going to wash my clothes outside." She said, and Mitsunari nodded, and she left.

Once she got to Nene's room, she knocked, and there was a faint, "Come in!" on the other side. She opened the door and walked in, seeing Nene lifting the mattress to collect her soiled clothes.

"Hi, Nene." Araya crossed the room and held the mattress up for her while she got all the clothes, and Nene thanked her, giving her the black soaking kimono. "Do you have a spare washing stone, by any chance?"

Nene thought for a second and nodded, opening a small set of drawers and revealing two light and dark wash washing stones. Araya thanked her, then spoke again.

"So, what's your punishment?"

Nene sighed. "I have no idea; they wouldn't tell me."

"Same with me. I'm just hoping that it doesn't involve us in the lake again. I can't be bothered to change again."

"Alright. Do you want to see if breakfast is empty by any chance?"

Araya shook her head. "Mitsunari and I just went down there, and it's still full. We have another hour before it ends though, so I was going to go after I finished washing my clothes."

Nene sighed at the thought of breakfast eluding her again, but nodded as Araya walked back over to the door, the two parting ways. Araya walked downstairs and out into the courtyard, walking over to the dead end that she and Mitsunari were at before. She dropped her clothes, knelt down and began to wash them, one by one with the stones, getting lost in thought by everything around her while doing so.

Twenty minutes later, she was just finishing washing her black crescent moon kimono that she wore earlier, when arms slid around her waist from behind. In her surprise, Araya dropped the dark wash stone she was holding, and it fell into the lake, sinking down to the bottom. The arms radiated warmth, and she turned around to see who it was. She saw Mitsunari there, smirking at her reaction. She scowled at him.

"Mitsunari, you scared me. You made me drop my stone into the lake!" He chuckled, and let go of her waist, settling for sitting down next to her, just as she got up.

"I didn't force you to drop it, you did it out of surprise. That's not my fault."

"But you caused me to drop it! Go and get it then!"

"Not a chance." He smirked at her.

She huffed. "You know what, fine. I'll do it myself." She then smirked at Mitsunari's shocked face as she stripped, pulling her kimono over her head and leaving her in just her undergarments. She then dove into the water with a small ripple, swimming into the depths whilst looking for her stone. Once she found it, she grasped it, and swam back to the surface. Getting out, her C-cup black bra and underwear suctioned to her body, and she squeezed as much water as she could without taking them off. She then placed her kimono over herself, becoming modest once more.

"You didn't have to do _that_." Mitsunari said, eyes still slightly wide.

Araya smirked. "But what if I wanted to?"

Mitsunari shook his head at her and sighed, standing up. Araya collected all of her newly-washed clothes and stones and set off back to their room with him. Once they entered, the rocks had dried so she set them on top of her dresser, heading back out of the room and back downstairs for the drying room, where she could hang her clothes until they dried. She made her way back upstairs after doing so, collecting a new pair of emerald undergarments and heading into the bathroom to change. Her black set didn't need to be washed, only dried, so as she and Mitsunari made their way to breakfast for a second time, she stopped off by the drying room and hung them up too. As they go to the entrance, they noticed that there was now an abundance of empty seats, since there wasn't long left of breakfast. They joined Nene and Raiden at their table, since Kiyomasa wasn't hungry, and began to eat.

* * *

Half an hour later, they had all finished, and agreed to go to Raiden and Kiyomasa's room to relax for a while. Once they had made it there, Kiyomasa greeted them and told them to come in. They did, and sat down in various places; on the beds, on the futons and on the windowsill. Araya, who was on one of the futons with Mitsunari, spoke.

"Anything that you guys particularly want to do today? I have no ideas right now." She sighed.

"I'm not sure either. Sparring matches?" Kiyomasa said.

Nene shook her head. "There's too many of us for that. Besides, we all know that either Araya or Raiden would inevitably win."

"How do you know that? We're all as skilled as each other; just in different ways." Araya countered.

An idea popped into Raiden's head, and he grinned. "How about we go to the hot springs that are near the town of Aki?"

Mitsunari raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know about that. Have you been before?"

"Yeah. It's relaxing, and kind of therapeutic. I recommend it."

"I don't mind that idea. Aki's about two hours away by horse, right?" Nene asked.

Raiden nodded. "Yeah, but the hot springs are a while closer, in our direction, so it won't take as long."

"Alright. I'll go and ask Hideyoshi if he needs us for anything before we leave." Araya remembered something. "We still haven't told him our war report. While I'm there, I'll tell him about it, unless you want to come, Mitsunari?"

He deliberated it for a second, but nodded. "Why not; he needs to speak with the true leader of that battle, anyway." He smirked at her as she scowled, and they both stood, heading for the door.

"Let's all meet here in about twenty minutes; bring some gold so we can have lunch in Aki if we stay there for longer, and a change of underwear. I'll go and ask the stable owners to bring our horses round to the Southern Gate. See you in a bit!" Nene also stood, heading for the door, and the three headed out into the hallway, going in their separate directions. Araya and Mitsunari headed for Hideyoshi's quarters, and entered. Hideyoshi was at his desk, and looked up at them and smiled as they walked towards him.

"Mitsunari, Araya! Good morning; what brings you here?" He asked.

"My lord, we have come to tell you the report of our battle yesterday." Mitsunari started.

"We would have come in the evening, but we were told you were asleep, so we waited." Araya said.

"That is fine, Araya. Mitsunari, the report, please?"

Mitsunari nodded and gave the report, including the part about the real and the decoy of Terumoto.

"Well, it looks like those rebels were smarter than we anticipated. If there are any more uprisings, we will have to look out for tactics like this. Nonetheless, you still defeated them, and I congratulate and thank you for that. You are both dismissed."

"Actually, Lord Hideyoshi, we have a request." He signalled for Araya to continue. "I would like to ask if you need Raiden, Kiyomasa, Nene, Mitsunari or I today?"

He thought for a small moment, then shook his head, and both Araya and Mitsunari internally sighed in relief. They both wanted to explore the hot springs; see something else other than the castle. "No. You may go now, both of you."

They nodded and Mitsunari said, "Thank you, my lord." and closed the door behind him. They then walked to their room, both taking some gold pieces and putting them into their saddlebags. As Araya was putting her gold pieces and cream bra set inside the bag, a thought struck her. She went to her drawers and picked out a navy blue kimono, with silver stitching; similar to her war clothing, and changed in the bathroom. Once she had changed, she emerged, putting her dark grey one back and walking over to her armour stand, taking off her leg straps from around the base and crossing them over her legs. Mitsunari looked at her in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

She finished tying them, and fished through her saddlebag for some throwing knives. "I'm taking my leg straps with me, to keep some sort of weapon on me in case I can't get to my saddlebag on time. I'm not about to let myself, or anyone, get assassinated while on our little day trip. You could take your tessen, if you wanted to. Even if you don't, and you get ambushed, I'll be right here to repay some favours, don't worry." She snickered, pulling out four knives and putting two behind each calf.

"Of course you will. How could I forget?" He said sarcastically, and Araya snickered again as he took his tessen off from his armour stand and put it into his saddlebag, hoisting it onto his shoulder and walking to the door.

"But, why did you change kimonos? The other one was fine." He said.

"If I'm going to wear my leg straps, I may as well make them match my kimono. Have to make a good impression on the people of Aki, you know." She said, sarcastically at the end. He chuckled, and she walked over, saddlebag over her shoulder. Mitsunari opened the door and stepped out into the corridor, Araya following, and they made their way round to Raiden and Kiyomasa's room. Knocking on the door once, it opened, and Nene's smiling face greeted them.

"I guess that it's fine for us to go then?" She said hopefully, eyeing their saddlebags. Araya nodded and she grinned, letting them inside. She again perched on the windowsill, next to her golden saddlebag, and Araya and Mitsunari stood next to the futons, opposite the beds, where Kiyomasa and Raiden were.

"You brought the horses round to the Southern Gate?" Raiden asked.

Nene nodded. "So, what's the plan, exactly?"

"I think we should ride to the hot springs, spend like an hour or two there, and then go to lunch in Aki, since we won't make it back in time for lunch. We could leave for home again at around one or two o'clock, depending if anyone wants to explore a bit." Mitsunari said, leaning against the wall.

Everyone agreed, also wanting to look around the small town before leaving. "It's settled then. Let's go!" Kiyomasa said, picking up his saddlebag and walking into the hallway, the others in tow. They then all walked downstairs, and across the ground floor to the Southern Gate. Walking outside, they attached their saddlebags to their respective horses, and mounted them. Trotting over to the gate, it then opened for them, the sentry guard having being told the plan by Nene beforehand. Looking at each other, they all dashed off down the wide, dusty path, heading into the forest, cracking jokes with one another.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Raiden told everyone to slow down and made a detour down a smaller path, everyone following. Soon, the trees began to thin out, and the grass beneath the five turned into smooth rock, and mini waterfalls were now prominent, along with small ponds with colourful flowers beside them. The natural landform was beautiful, everyone thought, as they trotted through it. A few minutes later, they came to a stop in front of the two intersecting hot springs. The water was a rare clear blue, and you could see down to the bottom. The water was calm, but radiated heat, and everyone couldn't wait to get inside them. The springs were on a cliff, which overlooked a small drop and an underground waterfall that burst out from the side, water falling into the lake below. The springs were surrounded by bonsai trees and smooth rocks, protecting them from falling down and also giving the place a tranquil atmosphere.

"Well, here we are. Let's go!" Raiden said, and they all dismounted their horses quickly, tying them to nearby juts of rock. They then all began to strip, behind separate large rocks, but only down to their undergarments. Araya took off her leg straps and put them into her bag, but kept two knives with her, which she would keep at the edge of the springs somewhere. She was paranoid of attacks more often, since the bandits and the rebels, but it wasn't bad. You could never be too cautious about things like ambushes. Araya and Nene had emerald and turquoise sets on that could be substituted for bikinis, and the boys had boxers that were similar to swimming trunks.

Araya walked over to the first spring with Nene, placed her knives next to a bonsai tree near her, and submerged herself in the hot water, slowly. She closed her eyes and withheld a moan at the relaxing feeling, sitting down on a small shelf of rock that was just high enough so her hair didn't get wet just yet. Nene soon joined her, but couldn't contain her moan as she sat down a decent ways away from Araya, since the two springs were quite large. The boys joined soon after, having put their clothes away, and slid into some spaces that were opposite the girls, and also closed their eyes, revelling in the feeling.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Araya thought that she was about to fall asleep, when a small jet of hot water hit her in the face, and she snapped her eyes open. She was met with the sight of the boys snickering to themselves. _Trust them to get bored of peace so quickly. But, I'm not saying that I don't mind a little bit of fun every once in a while._ She rolled her eyes, and turned to Nene, who was also wiping water away from her eyes. They made eye contact, and swam towards each other.

"This is about to turn into a water fight; guaranteed. I think that should we do what we did this morning, but just without the petals." Nene smirked, and Araya agreed. The boys were also too busy deliberating what to do next to the girls to notice them discussing.

"You get Kiyomasa and I get Raiden and Mitsunari?" Araya asked, and Nene agreed. They then both plunged down into the water, opening their eyes and surprised when the found that the abundance of minerals in the water didn't sting their eyes. Nonetheless, they still swam quickly and quietly over to the boys. Unfortunately for them, Raiden noticed them swimming up to them when they were about to reach for their ankles, and managed to slightly warn Mitsunari and Kiyomasa. The other two tried to get out before the girls could reach them, but they couldn't, and they were shoved into the water, along with Raiden. However, the small warning still helped, as when the girls made to swim away, Mitsunari grabbed Araya's ankle and pulled her back towards him, while Kiyomasa did the same with Nene, and Raiden picked her up, slinging her over his shoulders. Meanwhile, Araya had now been flipped slightly, and her back came into contact with Mitsunari's bare chest instead of her feet. He wrapped his arms around her, and scooped her up into his arms again while she struggled against him, bringing her up and out of the water. He then smirked with Raiden, and the two shared a silent conversation with their eyes. Raiden moved his arms to carry Nene by her waist, and Kiyomasa also understood what they were going to do, and smirked, counting down for them.

"Three, two, one, now!" Raiden and Mitsunari flung Nene and Araya across and into the second spring, the girls making a splash and then resurfacing with annoyed looks on their faces. The boys high-fived one another and laughed, while the girls huffed and just stayed in their spring, settling down in spaces to relax again, thinking about revenge plots. As Araya moved to a spot, she noticed that there was a small, but sturdy rock cliff hanging above the second spring, that could act as a diving board.

She reckoned that if she jumped far enough, which she could, that she would land directly in front of the boys, scaring the hell out of them. She smirked to herself, and swum over to Nene to tell her of her plan, and she agreed, but stayed where she was to watch it. Araya got out of the spring, feeling extremely cold all of a sudden, but still continued her plan. She dashed up to the cliff before the boys could notice that she moved, and gave herself a run up before leaping off the cliff, jumping in the air for extra distance. Her plan worked to perfection, as she landed directly in front of the three boys, tucked into a ball, who were talking again, spooking them thoroughly and soaking them with the force of her splash. As she resurfaced, she looked at the boys' priceless and shocked faces, and started laughing hysterically, along with Nene, who had swum through the intersection and into the first spring again to see the boys' reaction.

"A-Araya, that scared the shit out of me; never do it again, please." Raiden said, shaking his head along with Kiyomasa and Mitsunari. Said girl continued laughing as she swam away, back to the cliff and climbed it again. She had grown a bit bored, and felt like diving. She jumped off the rock with no run-up, did a somersault in the air and half-twisted before diving head first into the water of the second spring, with a small ripple. The boys had finally noticed the small cliff, and also got out with Nene to practise some diving to pass the time away. Right before they were about to leave, Araya shared the idea of jumping down into the lake below instead of the springs, and everyone agreed. Araya went first, and took a massive run-up, leaping into the air, and pencil-diving into the lake that was just beneath them. Everyone did the same, jumping and splashing into the cooler, refreshing lake. As they swum up to the bank, they noticed a series of thick, sturdy vines that led up to the stones that rimmed the springs, and climbed them.

Araya and Nene flew up them, obviously, and quickly took another dip into the spring to warm up before they left, since it was half past twelve. As the boys climbed up, Araya got out of the spring, collected her knives and walked back to their horses, laughing with everyone else. She and Nene got out their spare set of cream and lilac underwear, respectively, and their kimonos and ducked behind big rocks to change. They wrung out their soiled pairs, and put on the new pairs and their kimonos, walking back over to their horses, where the boys were waiting, fully dressed. Araya got out her leg straps and crossed them over her legs, sliding two knives behind each leg again and putting her wet clothes away in her saddlebag. They all mounted their horses, when Mitsunari spoke.

"So, are we going to Aki for lunch then?" Everyone agreed, and began to trot out of their area, leaving the hot springs and amazing scenery behind for the time being. They had all agreed to visit it again whenever they needed a stress relieve, or whenever they felt like it. 

Once they had made it back onto the main path, all five of them dashed off again, heading for Aki. Twenty minutes later, they slowed down as they entered the entrance to the small village, and were all getting curious glances from nearby villagers. They found a stable, and paid the owner to keep their horses for them until they returned, but they took their remaining gold with them, of course. All of them then wandered around the town as a group, looking for an inn to eat in and memorising any interesting places that they would go back to later. A few minutes later, Nene pointed out a large inn to the group, and they all piled into it. It was quite full, but not uncomfortably so. It was quiet enough to hear yourself speak, but loud enough that other strangers wouldn't hear. They sat down at a booth, and a waiter walked over to them, and took their order. Eventually, they all decided to just have a light lunch of white miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed.

* * *

A few minutes later of some jokes and idle talk, their food arrived, but with three waitresses. One was carrying three lacquer bowls of the soup, the other was carrying the other two lacquer bowls and five sets of chopsticks, and the last carried their drinks on a tray - Araya ordered sakura tea, Nene ordered sencha tea and the boys just ordered a medium-sized bottle of sake for the three of them, and three tokkuris and sakazukis. The girls had slid in the booth first, on opposite sides, then Mitsunari joined Araya while Raiden and Kiyomasa got in on Nene's side. The waitresses had reached the table by then. The first one smiled and leaned over the portion of table where Mitsunari was to give Araya, Nene and Raiden their soups, then slowly withdrew, twisting towards the slightly annoyed, golden eyed man at the last second, giving him a full view of her cleavage whether he wanted it or not. The second one then stepped up, not before slyly hitting her colleague on the arm and sending her a sharp glare, and humbly presenting Kiyomasa and Mitsunari with their soups. The last one then walked forwards, giving the five a smile, a bit too sweetly at the two girls at the end.

"Sakura tea?" She said.

Araya popped her hand up. "That would be me, thank you."

Again, the overly sweet smile appeared on the waitress' face, and leaned over the table, similarly to the first one in front of Mitsunari, and slid Araya her tea. Araya, however, glared at her slightly for her actions, and thanked her with a similar saccharine smile.

"Sencha tea?" The same smile stayed on her face, knowing who it would go to.

"Me, thank you." Nene said. The waitress then proceeded to lean over the table again, but this time, it was dangerously low in front of Kiyomasa, and Nene couldn't resist sending the woman a sharp look for a millisecond.

"And the sake is for you three men, I presume?" Raiden nodded amusedly at her, knowing full well of her intentions. She also sent him a small wink, that was still detected by the girls, as she placed his porcelain tokkuri and sakazuki in front of him and the other two.

Raiden couldn't help but falsely lead her on. "Thank you. We'll be sure to call for you if we need anything." The smile appeared on her face again as she nodded and left, but not before sending a small smirk at the two girls that went undetected by the boys.

Araya burst out into laughter, Raiden soon following her. "S-She tried so hard to be noticed!" He said, eventually calming down. Raiden continued. "Well, enough about her. Let's eat!" The others agreed, suddenly feeling hungry, picked up their chopsticks and ate, joking about the woman and doing impressions of her throughout.

* * *

An hour later, all of them had finally finished everything, and with a smirk, Kiyomasa called the same woman from before, who also brought along the first and second waitresses. As they were cleaning up, the first and third waitresses leaned precariously low again in front of the three males, and the second one stood back and watched them while shaking her head, since there was no other space to clean up that wasn't taken by her colleagues. As the two left, she hung back, and apologised to the five, the males in particular.

"I'm sorry about them, but I promise we're not all like that." She rolled her eyes, and Araya quietly laughed. "I'm their manager; I'll have a word with them after. I'm afraid that I have to send one of them over here to collect your payment, though." She then left, and unfortunately for the boys, the third waitress strutted up to their table.

"I'm here to collect your payment, please." She batted her eyelashes at the males, who discreetly rolled their eyes and they all fished out their gold pieces and paid for their meal. As the waitress again leaned over Mitsunari to get Araya's gold last, she moved close enough to him that her brown hair touched his chin, and he moved away, sitting backwards. She wasn't having any of it, however, as when she moved back to her original position, her hand brushed Mitsunari's bicep, and 'discreetly' squeezed it. He brushed her hand off, and glanced around the table as a silent plea for help. Everyone stared at him amusedly, and Araya shrugged her shoulders, smirking at him. As he looked back over at the waitress, something in him snapped, and he pushed her away from him completely.

"Look, you're a nice girl, and very pretty. But that's precisely why I say that you should back off. I don't want you, alright, and neither does my two friends over here. So please, let us be." He said in an annoyed tone. The waitress' face crumpled up unattractively, and she ran off back to wherever she came from, a sad frown on her face, but she didn't cry. Again, Araya burst out laughing for a bit as she stood up with the others, who were also chuckling, then spoke.

"Looks like you just lost an admirer, Mitsunari, and a _very pretty_ one too." She said, mocking his voice at the end. Everyone laughed as they walked out of the inn, and Mitsunari rolled his eyes.

"She wouldn't leave us alone, so it was the only possible option." He said, shaking his head.

"Too clingy, as well. Anyway, let's wander around for a while." Raiden said, then a smirk came upon his face. "How about we split up into groups?" Araya was confused, but Nene and Kiyomasa immediately caught on, smirking too.

"That's a good idea. Araya and Mitsunari, you two should go together, and us three will be the other group. Meet back at the stables in about an hour, and we'll go home. Bye!" Nene said to the two, and her, Raiden and Kiyomasa dashed off while snickering, giving Araya and Mitsunari no other option but to stay together.

Mitsunari shook his head, while chuckling. "They're so obvious. We should be the ones doing this to Nene and Kiyomasa, anyway."

Araya agreed. "Definitely. Since they've just left us, how about we go to that small vendor that was near the entrance? He was selling some decent things, from what I saw."

"Alright, then." They began to walk, Araya still making jokes about the waitress. A few minutes later, not too far from the vendor, Araya spoke again.

"Think about it. You two would be just perfect together. Why don't we go back there and you can apologise to her? I'm sure she would forgive you in a heartbeat." She snickered, walking faster in front of Mitsunari, in case he would chase her again.

He smirked at her, noticing her attempts to escape. "I don't apologise to people. To people like her, anyway." He walked faster, and Araya broke into a run, knowing that he was about to chase her, and he did. The two of them sprinted down the cobblestone path, again getting curious glances as they were running. Eventually, Araya slowed down as the vendor came into view, and Mitsunari took this as a chance to run a bit faster, reaching Araya, and picking her up by the waist, and she squealed as he continued running. A few seconds later, he slowed and stopped at the vendor's stall, placing Araya down but circling his arms around her waist as he whispered in her ear, ensuring she couldn't run again.

"Looks like you couldn't run from me this time, just like this morning. You should really stop trying, you know." He smirked at her as she huffed, and released her. Through their commotion, the vendor had appeared with a genuine smile on his face.

"Greetings! I have a range of items, sir. How about you buy something for your lady friend here? A brooch, or a ring for her delicate fingers, perhaps?" Araya quietly snorted, and Mitsunari chuckled, stepping closer to the stall.

"Delicate. Right." Nonetheless, he still browsed through the selection of gifts, along with Araya from the side. A crescent moon-shaped pendant caught her eye after a while. It was silver, and rimmed with midnight blue, as the sky. It hung on a plain silver chain, with the same midnight blue clasp at the back. Araya loved it, and picked it up, examining it. The vendor noticed her, and told her some information about it.

"That's one of my best pieces. Imported from Okehazama, and a lacquer gloss covers it, so it will always shine, and it's waterproof." Araya had no interest in the information about it, other than the price. Mitsunari noticed the vendor talking, and listened in, looking at the pendant in Araya's hands. "It costs thirty gold pieces."

Araya was shocked and saddened at the same time, as she didn't bring that much money with her, and only had twenty pieces left. "Oh, I can't afford that. Thank you for showing it to me, though." She placed the pendant back down in its space, and retracted her hand slowly. She began to back away from the stand, when Mitsunari spoke up.

"I'll buy it for you, if you want."

He had felt a sudden feeling that he should buy it for her, despite the price, considering her saddened expression when she had to put it back. He knew that she loved it, and was compelled to make her happy again. Araya looked at him, genuinely shocked but happy at the same time. "Seriously?" He nodded at her with a small smirk on his face, and fished out thirty pieces from one of his pouches. The vendor beamed at him, happy to make a sale, and picked up the pendant, giving it to Mitsunari as he paid him the money.

"Thank you, and have a safe journey!" He said as the two left. A bit away from the stand, Mitsunari stopped Araya.

"Stay still for a second." She gave him a confused glance, but complied. He lifted her ponytail, and placed the pendant around her neck. The crescent felt cool and smooth against Araya's skin, but surprisingly light, barely weighing anything. Mitsunari's hands brushed her neck while doing up the clasp, and she had to suppress a pleasant shiver at the feeling. He then let go of her ponytail, and it dropped, covering the clasp of the pendant, and Araya turned around.

"Thank you, Mitsunari. I didn't expect that, you know. Let me guess, I owe you another favour now?" She said, whilst smiling.

He chuckled, and they began to walk again, back the way that they came. "You know me so well."

* * *

Over the next forty or so minutes, Araya had bought herself a nice, silken emerald green kimono that surprisingly only cost ten pieces, and Mitsunari bought himself a pendant also, since they were unisex, but his was in the shape of a small red, orange and yellow ember that slid easily beneath his robes if need be. They had just returned to the stables, and saw Nene, Kiyomasa and Raiden joking around by all of their horses. As they approached, Nene noticed them and beckoned them over. All three of them immediately noticed the gifts that they had and awed over them.

"Both of your pendants look really nice, you know."

"I like your kimono, Araya, and it matches your eyes!"

"The fire on your pendant looks great, Mitsunari."

Nene had bought a pair of golden, strappy sandals, Kiyomasa bought a black and green robe and Raiden got a yellow lightning bolt pin that he could attach to the front of his war attire. They all boarded their horses again, trotting out of the stable, through the village and out of the entrance, where they then all dashed off, laughing and having a good time.

* * *

Just before six o'clock, they reached the Southern Gate and trotted to the stablehands, dismounting and detaching their saddlebags before handing their horses over to them. They walked inside, all tired after their long journey, when Raiden spoke.

"Shouldn't we eat dinner before we all fall asleep?"

Kiyomasa shook his head. "Dinner ends in two hours; we still have time." He nodded, and they all walked up the stairs, saying goodbye and parting ways to their own rooms. Araya and Mitsunari entered their room, and Araya took out her knives from behind her calves, setting them on her dresser, dropped her saddlebag and put her kimono away before crawling into bed with Mitsunari, who had just put his tessen away. His arms immediately circled her waist, and she positioned her head on his chest, like usual. Even though they weren't a couple, they still both enjoyed the comfort that they received from each other and made a mutual, silent agreement to always sleep in their adopted sleeping position. Araya fell asleep from the soothing sound of Mitsunari's steady heartbeats, and he joined her soon after, relaxing in her presence.

* * *

At seven thirty, Araya woke up, yawning softly. She lifted her head and saw that it was dark outside, and remembered about dinner. She woke Mitsunari, and the two of them went downstairs after freshening up a bit. They met Raiden on his way downstairs, also, and the three sat with Nene and Kiyomasa, who had already started to eat. They talked and joked about things until half an hour later, when dinner had finished. They then all left, agreeing to head to Raiden and Kiyomasa's room since it was the biggest. Like earlier, they assumed the same places, and once they all settled, Nene spoke.

"Any ideas on what to do?"

Everyone shook their heads, sighing. "The only thing I can think to do is sleep, really." Raiden said, yawning slightly, and Araya agreed with him.

"Fine. Why don't we all just sleep in here for a while until one of us wakes up? We can decide what to do then." Nene suggested, and everyone murmured an agreement. She walked over to Kiyomasa's bed, and said, "Move up. I'm not sleeping on a windowsill." He chuckled but complied, and Raiden settled down on his bed too, closing his eyes. Araya rolled over to Mitsunari's futon, and he closed his eyes, opening his arms and circling them around her waist. Araya moved her head on top of his chest, and soon after, everyone fell asleep.

* * *

At about midnight, Araya awoke first. She quietly slipped out of Mitsunari's grip, and padded back down to their room. She opened her saddlebag, took out her still wet 'bikini' and set it on the floor for the time being, and then she got out her new silk kimono from her drawers and put it on, replacing it with the navy blue one. She pulled her pendant out of the kimono, and rested it on top, picked up her underwear and went downstairs to the drying room. She hung up her set of underwear, and picked up her now dry clothes, returning with them upstairs, where she put them away and padded back to where everyone else was.

She entered the room, everyone still fast asleep, and leant back against Mitsunari's chest. Unconsciously feeling the change in pressure, Mitsunari moved his arms, twisted to lay flat on his back and circled his arms around Araya's waist once more. Again, she moved her head on top of his chest, and her eyes caught sight of his fire pendant, hanging from his neck. She reached out to touch it, and held it in her hands, testing the weight. It was light, like hers, and had the same glossy finish on the ember, which was outlined in a black-coloured metal. Gently placing the pendant back on top of his robes, she moved her head deeper into his chest, and in response, Mitsunari tightened his arms around her and pulled her completely flush against his side, not one place where their bodies didn't touch. She sighed quietly, and fell asleep again soon after.

* * *

Around an hour later, Raiden woke up. He sat up in his bed, and the first thing he saw was Araya and Mitsunari curled around each other, like the last time he saw. He smiled, and stood to silently wake Nene and Kiyomasa up, who both also saw the two from their bed.

"I'm pretty sure they don't even realise what they're doing, you know. Not that it's bad, or anything." Kiyomasa said while quietly chuckling.

"Probably. I'm not that tired anymore, to be honest, so do you have any ideas on what to do?" Raiden asked.

"Walk around the courtyard and talk about random things? Make some sort of dessert? Practise calligraphy?" Nene asked, thoroughly bored already.

"Wow, you must be really bored if you could even consider practicing calligraphy. Although, the making a dessert idea could be alright. I don't mind it, at least." Raiden said.

"Neither do I, but what could we make?" Kiyomasa said. They all thought for a moment, then Nene broke the silence.

"Not sure. I'll wake Araya and Mitsunari up and get their opinion." Nene got out of bed, and walked over to the still sleeping two, lightly shaking Mitsunari's shoulder. He woke up almost immediately, due to military reflexes, and stared confusedly at Nene who was looking down at him.

"What is it, Nene?" He asked, yawning slightly.

"We might have found what we can do for the time being, and wanted to talk to you two about it." He nodded, and detached his arms from Araya's waist, and Nene sat back down on Kiyomasa's bed, talking quietly with the two. As Mitsunari looked down at Araya to wake her up, he noticed that she had changed into her new kimono. The main thing he noticed about it was how short it was. In Araya's tiredness an hour before, she didn't look down at herself to see how she looked in the kimono. It stopped just past mid-thigh in length, and the rest of her creamy, smooth legs were displayed for all to see. During these thoughts, Mitsunari had frozen, staring at Araya for a few seconds, before snapping out of his daze and moving his gaze from her shapely legs to her face. He reached for her shoulder, shook it lightly and whispered in her ear.

"Araya, we need to get up now; everyone else is awake." From his voice, her eyes snapped open, slightly foggy with sleep. She nodded, hearing what he said, and he leant her a hand to get up, both of them sitting at the edge of Raiden's bed.

"I'm guessing you found something to do, then?" Araya said, yawning like a kitten.

Nene nodded, smiling at the sound along with everyone else. "Yeah. We were thinking of making some sort of dessert to pass the time, but we were stuck on what to do."

Araya thought about the desserts she knew, and one popped up in her head. "How about dangos for all of us?"

"That's a good idea, but what type? There are so many." Raiden said, deliberating.

"How about mitarashi?" Mitsunari said. In truth, he had always liked the burnt fragrance that you get from mitarashi dango, and he hadn't had it in a while.

Araya's eyes brightened, as that was her favourite type. "Yes. I remember how to make it, but I don't have a recipe for the ingredients." She frowned slightly.

"I think we do; it should be somewhere down in the kitchen." Nene said, standing up.

"So we've agreed on what we're doing then?" Kiyomasa said, and everyone agreed. "Let's go down to the kitchen, then." With that, everyone stood, and quietly made their way downstairs and to the massive kitchen. Nene got on top of a cabinet, and checked on top of the fridge, bringing down a red book with her. She smiled, and opened the pages of it, flicking through until she found what she was looking for.

"Here it is! Mitarashi dango. First off, how many does everyone want?"

"Let's just have five on each skewer; I'm sure that Raiden or Kiyomasa would be all too happy to finish any leftovers, don't worry." Araya said, smirking. Everyone chuckled, and she went to one of the cupboards, looking for the ingredients. She had found everything, other than the rice vinegar for the sauce.

"Nene? Do you know where the rice vinegar is?" She asked. Nene nodded, and went over to a different cupboard and brought it out. She thanked her, and spoke again. "Alright, let's do this." She rubbed her hands together, as it was quite cold in the kitchen, and got started with Nene, as the boys laughed and joked around, not particularly doing anything useful. Araya had just finished mixing the dough, and gave it to Nene to divide into twenty-five. She got out a large boiling pot, and filled it with water, seasoned it with salt and started to heat it.

She then looked at the boys, and sighed in slight annoyance, since they weren't helping at all. She smirked inwardly as an idea popped to mind, and she grabbed the rice flour. She got a small pinch, and flicked it at Mitsunari's face, who was talking with Kiyomasa. He looked shocked for a second, then wiped the flour off his face with a scowl as Kiyomasa and Raiden began to laugh.

"This is supposed to be a group activity, you know?" She said, while containing a laugh. Suddenly, Mitsunari grabbed the sack of flour off the counter, and threw a small handful at her face. This time, Araya scowled and wiped it off while everyone else began to laugh again, and Mitsunari replaced it on the counter. Araya lunged for it, grabbing a full handful and throwing it in a random direction, and it landed in Raiden's pure black hair, looking like snow.

"Sorry, wrong target!" She snickered and grabbed another handful, this time throwing and hitting it in Mitsunari's face. Most of the flour flittered to the floor, and Araya laughed fully at how he looked. Unexpectedly, Raiden grabbed the flour and threw it at Kiyomasa, who sputtered, grabbed a handful and accidentally hit Nene, who had just finished cutting the dango mixture.

"Now you're all in for it!" She yelled, and grabbed two handfuls, flinging them randomly. That motion declared war, and everyone started to grab handfuls of rice flour and hurl them at anyone's face. After a few minutes, Araya tried to sneak out of the door to avoid being pelted any more, but Mitsunari caught sight of her escaping, smirked and ran after her. As she was running, Araya looked back and saw Mitsunari there, and made a sharp right into the common room. She quickly sprinted behind one of the sofas, and as Mitsunari entered, she popped up, standing her ground behind the sofa. He stalked towards her, and stood in front of the sofa.

"Did you think that you could escape, Araya?"

"From you guys and your flour-flinging, yes." Mitsunari suddenly jumped over the sofa, and tackled her to the floor. He pinned her down using his hands, and leaned in close to her face.

"Well, you thought wrong." He lifted one of his clenched fists, and dumped another handful of flour on her face. He began to laugh as she spluttered, and he ran back to the kitchen, Araya in tow. As they entered, the kitchen had been turned into a winter wonderland, but with flour. It covered nearly every surface, and was also a thick layer on the floor.

"Well, I'm not cleaning this up." Raiden said, wiping flour off his face. Everyone else agreed, and in their silence, Araya heard the water in the pot bubbling, indicating that it was boiled. She walked over to the dango balls as Nene put the flour away, and got out a wide slotted spoon. Placing four dangos on the spoon, she lowered it into the water, and repeated the process with the remaining dangos. She turned from the pot and dusted herself off from head to toe, getting rid of any excess flour on her or in her hair. Getting out another, smaller pot, she added all the ingredients for the glaze and heated it until it boiled. Meanwhile, the dangos had boiled, and she took them out, drying them on a tissue and poking a skewer through them, five on each. By this time, the glaze had boiled, and she stirred it until it thickened, lined up the skewers on a plate and poured the glaze all over them, turning them to get the other side.

She walked over to the chatting four, and spoke to them, holding out the dangos. "Well, thanks for all the help guys. Very effective group activity." They all chuckled.

"Sorry, we were in a _very_ interesting discussion just now, and we got distracted." Raiden said. "Are these the finished dangos?"

Araya rolled her eyes, and handed one to him. "No, it's beef strips on a skewer." She said sarcastically, and everyone laughed again, took one and thanked her. "I'd prefer to eat these while not in the presence of a tonne of flour. I'm heading for the courtyard." With that, she walked outside, out of the entrance and into the courtyard, climbing a small cherry blossom tree and nestling herself within the branches. She looked out at the crescent moon in the sky, and it reminded her of her pendant. She picked said item off her chest, and held it in front of her, staring at it. All of the events the led to her owning it came rushing back to her, and she vowed then and there that she would never take it off. The vendor said that it was waterproof, anyway. She put her pendant back down, and ate one of the dangos. She closed her eyes to savour the sweet, aromatic flavour of them for a minute or so, and when she opened them, golden eyes were staring at her. She moved flush against the tree, startled, then recovered and moved back to where she was. _How did I not hear him coming? It must've been while I was looking at my pendant or while my eyes were closed, I guess. I need to work on that._

"Like your dangos?" He said, casually leaning against a thick branch.

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Yeah I do, actually."

He chuckled, and leant in closer to her, lifting a hand to her hair, brushing a stray flour speck from her ponytail, then reaching up to the branches above and plucking a petal. He then placed it in Araya's hair, putting it where the other petal was from that morning. He then sat back down, a little closer, as their legs were touching. Araya lifted her hand to touch the petal, and looked at Mitsunari in confusion. He shrugged and answered her unspoken question.

"It looked nice in your hair earlier." She felt a bit warm at his slight compliment, and thanked him, taking a chunk off a dango.

"Where are the others?" She asked.

"They came out here as well, and should be somewhere near here. I was with them till I found you and came up here. By the way, I think you're going a bit deaf, you know, if you didn't hear me climbing up here. I thought you were supposed to be a ninja?" He said, smirking at her. Araya scowled, then smirked, and suddenly tackled him down to the branches beneath them.

"I am a ninja, actually. I thought you were supposed to be wise?" She said, taunting him and leaning close to his face. He smirked, and flipped them over, leaning down to her face, close enough that their noses touched lightly.

"I am wise, actually. What about you?" He mused, in a low voice. There was a moment's silence, and in that, both of them were thinking along the same line of thought. They were affected by their extremely close proximity, and the hot breath being pushed on both of their faces, and hyperaware of every place where they touched. Their legs, their arms, their noses; Mitsunari's hair even fell down to graze her cheek lightly. As he looked down at her face, his eyes took in her naturally rosy, plump lips, and he couldn't take it anymore. 

He closed the remaining gap between them both, and kissed her. 

Araya's eyes widened for a second, not expecting it, but then they fluttered closed and she responded to the kiss, her heart guiding her to do so. Both of them felt like they could cry out in relief, as they had both wanted it since they realised that they were in love with the other. Even though it had only been a few days, it was sort of like love at first sight, after a bit of development in their relationship.

Mitsunari had sat up, leaning against the tree, bringing Araya with him and circling his arms around her waist, her reciprocating and winding her arms around his neck, as she was sat in his lap. After a minute, Mitsunari took a risk, and licked Araya's lips, asking for entrance. She gasped a little, not used to the feeling, but complied anyway. They explored each other's mouths, and tasted the caramel-like glaze from the dangos. Araya moaned slightly at the taste, and Mitsunari smirked against her mouth, and she wrapped her still bare legs around his waist. They had unknowingly moved themselves into the same position that they were at their stopover camp a few days prior. They got lost in each other, and didn't come out of the kiss for another two or so minutes.

Once they did, they both leant back and took in a well needed gulp of fresh air. Araya then fell against Mitsunari's chest, the kiss taking most of the energy out of her. He tightened his arms around her, and whispered in her ear.

"You taste like caramel."

She smirked, and replied. "So do you. I've been waiting to do that since our little battle."

He chuckled. "So have I, actually." After a moment, Araya started to get up from Mitsunari's lap, and settled herself against a large branch that was next to him, eating her forgotten dango skewer again. A thought popped into her head, and she suddenly laughed. Mitsunari looked at her in confusion, and she sobered up.

"I was just thinking about the other three's reaction would've been if they saw that. Nene would probably faint in happiness." She said, snickering.

Mitsunari also laughed, agreeing with her. "Yes, they probably would." By this time, Araya was just about to eat her last dango, when the skewer was snatched out of her hands. She turned in shock to Mitsunari, who had a devilish smirk on his face as he popped the last dango in his mouth.

"What? They tasted good." He said, still smirking. Araya scowled at him, then shook her head, chuckling quietly. She then clambered down the tree swiftly, and looked up at Mitsunari.

"You coming or not? I want to find the others." He chuckled, and also climbed down the tree, the two of them walking alongside the lake, searching for the other three. After a few minutes, they found them, near the dead end that Araya and Mitsunari were at before. By this time, the three were wondering where they were, and whisper-shouted for them as they got in range.

"Araya, Mitsunari! Over here!" Raiden said. The two walked over to them and sat down next to each other.

"We were just talking about random things, and about what we should do now. I like to relax, but I feel the need to do something." Kiyomasa said.

"Well, what do you guys normally do when you're here?" Araya asked.

Nene deliberated. "Train, train our horses, swim, sleep. That's about it."

Araya was by the edge of the lake, in thought. She suddenly thought of a small idea, and dove into the lake silently. Everyone watched her in shock, wondering what compelled her to do that. As Kiyomasa crept to the edge to see why she hadn't resurfaced, he suddenly went flying into the lake, pulled by Araya's hands. In shock, Nene also went to the edge, and was dragged in also. Before Mitsunari or Raiden could move away, Araya resurfaced, grabbed their ankles and tugged them in also. As everyone resurfaced, Nene spoke.

"How the hell are you strong enough to do that?" Everyone else agreed.

Araya chuckled. "Years of training, I guess." She lurched back underwater, and swam over to Raiden's legs. She yanked him under silently, and made motions with her hands to get the other three. He nodded in understanding, and swum to Kiyomasa, yanking him down. Araya swam over to Mitsunari, and also pulled him down. Before she could swim away, however, he wrapped his arms around her waist, expecting some sort of attack. She struggled to get away as he swam to the surface with her. He whispered in her ear.

"You need to stop trying to trick me and thinking that you'll escape, you know. It never works." He said, smirking. Suddenly, Araya stopped struggling altogether, and in his surprise, Mitsunari loosened his arms. She took that as an opportunity to plunge down, swimming away like a fish. Mitsunari smirked, and also swam after her. With his superior upper body strength, he ploughed through the water and caught up with Araya again, this time scooping her up in his arms again. He then resurfaced, got out onto the bank, and walked back to where everyone else was. He held her above the water, mockingly, as she again struggled to get out before he dropped her.

"Sorry," He said, and then dropped her, Araya sinking down. During all of their commotion, Raiden had snuck behind Mitsunari, and pushed him into the lake also, sinking next to Araya. Kiyomasa and Nene suddenly joined in as the two resurfaced, pelting them with nearby lily pads and jets of water. Shrieking, Araya plunged back down into the lake, but then swam over to the two, tugging them both down. She then resurfaced, pulling them down even more in her efforts, and climbed onto the bank with Raiden. She collapsed to the ground in laughter as everyone resurfaced, spewing out water. She sobered up after a while, and proposed another idea.

"Since we're now all soaking wet, anyone want to have some swimming races?" They all agreed, and Raiden and Kiyomasa went up first. "Three, two, one, go!" She said. They both dashed off, swimming to where the lake bent, then turning back around. A few meters from the finish, Raiden was behind Kiyomasa, but tugged on one of his ankles, pulling and sending him flying back while Raiden swam forward and won.

"What! You can't cheat!" Kiyomasa said, huffing as he got out.

Raiden smirked. "There were no rules about that."

* * *

They carried on doing races and diving competitions and other water based activities until dawn was close to breaking the sky, and everyone got out. They all quietly padded upstairs, where they all parted ways, since they wanted to sleep till breakfast, to their own rooms. Araya found another silk kimono to wear, this time a sapphire blue, and immediately went to change. After she did, Mitsunari went in, and neither of them bothered to shower, knowing that they would when they woke up. Araya crawled into bed after drying her hair, and Mitsunari joined her afterwards, winding his arms around her waist as she set her head upon his chest. She closed her eyes, drowsy, and Mitsunari did soon after.

"Goodnight, Mitsunari."

He chuckled softly. "Goodnight, Araya."


End file.
